The Nightmare saga: The Long Awaited Moment
by JohnnyReb
Summary: Story 3. The turbulent last few months are over. With summer break coming, it promsies to be a busy and eventful summer. First Natsumi and Kurumi return to Tokyo for the surprise of their lives! Then, the day of Ranma and Akane's wedding is coming fast! However, conflicts brought from the Musk Dynasty may ruin the joy and show that some grudges are worth dying for. (re-written!)
1. Chapter 1: Rumblings of War

The Long Awaited Moment: Triumph and Despair.

A Ranma 1/2 fanfic

Part three of the _Nightmare _saga.

By: Jason Olin

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Ranma ½ nor the image used for any of my stories. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz.

* * *

"History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats."  
-B. C. Forbes

Prologue:

The beginning of April had come at last. With it, the first school bell of the new term. It rang throughout Furinkan High School and the last of the late students scrambled to get to their classes as Ms. Hinako started hunting up and down the halls for delinquents to punish.

Fortunately, Ranma was not one of them today. With the new school year he and Akane were now in their second year. After the showdown at Wraith's castle, both Kuno and Nabiki had had birthdays and were graduating. Kuno's departure from the school made Ranma's life even easier. He didn't have to fight the clueless samurai before class anymore and as such, would no longer be late to class. The downside to this was that the witless wonder had taken up the annoying habit of coming to the Tendo Dojo to challenge Ranma for the Pigtailed Girl and Akane at least twice a week. He seemed particular determined to defeat Ranma with the wedding drawing closer.

The school was abuzz with the news. Try as they did to keep the news a secret until summer break, Nabiki had been paid off to share the news. To make matters worse, instead of denying the rumors Akane had confirmed them and engaged in topics concerning the wedding almost every day during lunch. Much to Ranma's chagrin, that seemed to be all anyone ever wanted to talk about anymore.

Ranma sat at his desk as the teacher came in to conduct class and sighed, none too eager for a new school year. Akane look over at him and gave an encouraging wink. He couldn't help but give a slight smile back. At least they were still in the same classes together. That was something at least. With as much as everything had changed, familiarity in life had become something of a luxury in recent days.

Since the battle at Wraith's castle, Happosai's health had continued to slowly decline. Try as he might to hide it, Ranma was concerned about the old man and how lethargic he'd become. He didn't even go on panty raids anymore. That was the most nerve-wracking part. Wrapping his brain around the idea that Happosai wouldn't survive another year had taken much of the wind out of his sails.

To blow off stress and steam Ranma delved deeper into his training than ever before. He tapped his finger onto his desk, debating on taking some time to go on a training trip this weekend to blow off some steam. He just hadn't been strong enough against Wraith, the boy decided with a frown. If he had, Happosai might not have been injured. Hell, they might not have been kidnapped at all.

He knew with the wedding coming up that his mood should be a little bit better, more excited perhaps. He should be feeling eager to help out with the preparations. And yet all he had were regrets. Perhaps a training trip really was what he needed to work past these issues. If he was still feeling this way when the wedding came then it would be an extremely bad problem.

As the teacher started to conduct class, Ranma turned his inner thoughts off and picked up his pencil to start the new notes of the new school year, all the while praying that it would be far less intense than the previous year.

The time until the wedding continued to tick down.

* * *

Chapter 1: Rumblings of War

Two months later. Mid June.

The trees throughout the forest shook as the sound of splintering wood reverberated in all directions as if bemoaning the fate of one of their own. The weapon that had broken the sturdy tree in half fell to the ground, shattering the ground with its weight. The rounded chui's intended target sailed gracefully through the air, moving amongst the trees as the attacker followed.

Retreiving her weapon, Shampoo held both of the mace-like weapons at waist level, tracking Mousse's movements. With a nimble leap into the air she gave chase. The ground shook as she scored a near miss. Mousse barely rolled away as she smashed her weapons into the ground, carving a huge crater into the landscape. Mousse rolled to his feet and shot out a series of chains, forcing Shampoo to backflip away to avoid being ensnared.

Mousse pressed his advantage and charged towards her. He produced two swords from his robes and made contact with her weapons, striking hard enough to force her to one knee. Mousse pressed down, forcing Shampoo further towards the ground before she rolled onto her back, then into a handstand, kicking her legs out as she twirled in a circle. One foot hit him hard in the chest and sent him flying into another tree.

Shampoo charged at him like a furious rhino, using the chui to deflect a storm of knives before plowing the weapon into his chest. But like the graceful swan he used as a basis for some of his attacks, he was already on the move again. His foot used her weapon as a springboard and he was again moving amongst the trees, keeping her on her toes with his long range chains.

By chance he snared her around the waist. Landing on a branch, he grabbed the chains in hand and swinging hard, threw her into a series of tree trunks, battering her body from one to the next. She grunted in pain, rolling with the impacts to minimize the damage. Struggling would have just caused more pain and damage.

The two had been training in the mountains of Japan for the last week while Cologne and some temporary hired help attended to the restaurant. After the battle at Wraith's castle, they had both reached the conclusion that they were sorely in need of training. Everyone else had seemed to advance and they had no intention of falling behind. It wasn't just Cologne's insistence either, it was their Chinese Amazon pride as well.

Still, this wasn't the main reason for the intense training trip. Word from back home had arrived and the news was grave. It had been more of a warning than a letter of correspondence. Tensions with the Musk Dynasty were flaring up again after months of silence. According to the note, that had been written in the tribe's elder words for sake of security, the ruling council was preparing a preemptive strike in case war truly seemed inevitable. If war came, the Amazon's were determined to cripple the enemy with a first strike.

After reading the note, Cologne had ordered them to go train in order to hone their skills. If war came they would have an obligation to return home and help to defend their homeland. This was an especially important act as Cologne was a member of the council and Shampoo was her rightful heir. Returning home without being in peak battle readiness would be unacceptable.

On their trek up into the mountains Mousse had told her all about Emperor Herb and the terrifying power's he'd seen the Dragon Lord use against Ranma. Mousse was absolutely convinced that Herb had enough power to match the ruling council. Shampoo hadn't even tried to suppress the shiver his words had created. The battle over the mystical lands of Jusenkyo seemed closer than ever, especially with the third nation in the region, the Phoenix Tribe, now in remission after Saffron's god-like body had been destroyed.

Finished battering her through the tree line, Mousse pulled up sharply and drew her to him. Love her though he did, he couldn't pull any punches. Not only would it have rendered any training ineffective, but she would have noticed and taken it as an insult.

Shampoo rode the chains up into she was within range. Flexing her arms, she used all her strength and broke the bonds that contained her, clothes-lining Mousse and throwing them both to the ground. They touched down lightly and Mousse sent his chains out again, finally knocking her weapons from her hands. Undaunted she attacked him again, switching to unarmed strikes, she aimed for his face, leaving herself open to a sweep kick that knocked her on her back.

Rolling side over side, she stood up as Mousse advanced, weaving her way inside his defenses to grab his shirt and throw him to the ground, repaying the favor. Grunting Mousse chucked out a few exploding eggs, distracting her long enough for him to stand up and rob her of any advantage.

Then, as if by means of a hidden signal, the two bowed to each other and dropped their guards completely. As Mousse took a deep breath, the playful ball of lavender bound forward and jumped onto him, forcing him to the ground as she sat on his chest, leaning down over him with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"What I want to know," she said in her native tongue, "is just how the hell you manage to confuse people with potted plants and yet when it comes to fighting you are as graceful as a hawk in the air?"

Content to let the girl he loved more than any other get the last blow in, he simply smiled and pushed his glasses up onto his forehead. Even he didn't need them to see her when she was that close. He simply shrugged as she settled in, secretly enjoying the feeling of her butt on his chest. Her long hair draped over them like a veil and she continued to smile.

"You got some good hits in today."

"You did too," he replied.

Shampoo had secretly cared about him as a friend for years but had not even thought of him as a worthy mate until after his battle with Torisan the bird-man on their Tokgenkyo adventure. In that battle he had endured terrible agony just to keep her safe. That was when the spark of love had first started to burn in her chest. After Ranma had tossed her aside for Akane, Shampoo's feeling of self-worth had gone down considerably. Not content simply to defeat Ranma for her hand, which he somehow had, Mousse had challenged Shampoo to a match as well, restoring her confidence and turning the spark in her heart into a blaze.

She had been so very glad. While the women of the Amazon tribe were powerful and in charge, there were times where they liked to be fought for and dominated. Therefore, when Mousse had challenged her and savagely beaten her up, she had felt pleasure along with the pain of each blow. She knew in her heart that it was love and not abuse that fueled his actions.

It had been the one match she'd been glad to lose, though at the time she'd given it her all.

Now they were a couple and Shampoo had finally allowed herself to see the strong and manly qualities hidden behind Mousse's handicaps and incompetence. She finally understood the joy of being wanted for who and what she was.

As she sat on top of him, her hands brazenly traveled along his chest, feeling the hardened muscles beneath of the man that was hers. He pulled her down and the two of them kissed as his hands wrapped firmly around her waist. She practically purred as he held her, moving to rest her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"I noticed your punches were slightly off track today," he said, stroking her hair. "What is on your mind? The possible war?"

She shook her head.

"Ranma and Akane's wedding then," he correctly guessed. "Do you feel conflicting emotions about it?" He almost didn't want to know the answer.

Shampoo sat up quickly and her eyes widening. "No! Don't be silly. I'm fine with how things have gone and I have absolutely no regrets concerning Ranma. You are the man worthy of my hand and no one else."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "So what about the wedding exactly were you thinking about?"

"Well, for starters I hope we will still be here to actually see it and not traveling on our way back to China."

"The council won't commit to war easily," Mousse assured her. "Even if we do go to war it won't be for months yet. Herb only recently recovered his strength from Taro's attack. I am willing to bet the defeat humbled him. He'll be cautious and take time to check and re-check his plans, if it does indeed actually come to war at all."

"Something just doesn't feel right Mousse." Her voice was thick with frustration. "All these attacks lately and now the war with the Musk…"

"Actually, the animosity brewing with the Musk has been coming for decades," he reminded her gently. "I'm more than a little bit surprised that open warfare with Herb Musk hasn't occurred before now, considering past battles against his father."

Shampoo blew out and exasperated breath. "I know that! It's just… everything is all too convenient, almost as if it was arranged one event after another. Doesn't it feel that way to you? I mean, we'd never even heard of Wraith or Zero before. How did they know to look for people like us in Japan to begin with?"

Mousse pursed his lips in thought. "I honestly don't have an answer to that."

"I just get the feeling it's not over yet," she whispered darkly. "It's like a terrible feeling in the back of my head, sending chills down my spine. I can't explain it any better than that.

"All the more reason we should train hard then," he reasoned. "Let's make sure your bad feelings don't become reality. We can help our friends and make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch. Then we won't have any regrets if we do get recalled home."

"I need some new moves too," she said with a sigh. "Akane and Ukyo have one-upped me in that category."

"You'll get there," he said smiling, radiating confidence for her abilities. "It's just you spent so much time vying for Ranma's affections that you neglected your training. We'll fix that up in no time.

She nodded and slapped her cheeks. "Enough doom and gloom for one day," she decided. Let's go take a bath in that nearby spring."

He took the hand she offered and stood up. "Good idea. You wash my back, I wash yours?"

Shampoo smiled seductively, stripping off her sparring clothes and sliding her panties down her legs right in front of him. "Play your cards right and I may let you wish my front as well…"

Ironically, Shampoo and Mousse were not the only ones out training that weekend. In another part of the forest even deeper in the mountains, Ranma was training in absolute solitude. Sitting on the ground cross-legged, he had been hard at work since Friday night training not just his body but also his mind as he battled to get rid of the nagging guilt and sense of weakness that had been plaguing him relentlessly.

While they didn't know exactly what was going on, his family had been largely supportive of his decision to go train in seclusion. No one wanted to stress Ranma out and make him back out of the coming wedding. Even Genma hadn't asked to come along. Perhaps he understood that his son had a lot of issues to work through and the only thing that could give him the chance to do it was space.

There was no way Ranma would ever do that, but he wasn't about to tell them that.

He pictured Wraith in his mind, replaying his thoughts from the fight in Germany over and over again. Gritting his teeth, the boy could almost feel those terrible claws touching the skin on his neck again, preparing to pierce his flesh. If Akane hadn't saved him, Ranma's life would have ended right then and there.

With a tranquility shattering howl, Ranma raised both hands and slammed them into the ground, releasing the angry energy inside his body and letting it expand and swirl like a storm around the limits of the clearing where he now sat. Slowly rising to his feet, he concentrated, keeping control of the power in order to avoid devastating the entire mountain.

The problem, he concluded finally, was that his weakness was succumbing to enemies initially because he was never prepared for the unexpected and the foe would use whatever trick or attack they specialized in to catch him off guard. If he was to keep another Wraith or Taro from happening again then he would have to train to expect the unexpected.

Raising his palm skyward, Ranma released the energy into the atmosphere, a look of utter seriousness on his face. "Never again."

Never again would the lives of his friends be placed in danger because of his arrogance or unpreparedness. Never again would he be unable to defend them due to his own weakness.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Ranma dropped into a low combat stance and began to train again.


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations and Warnings

Chapter 2: Preparations and Warnings

July 17th, four days before the wedding.

The sun was just starting to peak up above the distant treetops, bringing the sleepy city of Tokyo to life with its warm beams that accompanied the new day. A family of doves took to the sky's moments later, calling out to the world around them. Beating their wings, the winds steered them towards a barren pasture filled with tasty worms. Below, a stray cat hopped up onto a half open trashcan in hopes of finding some scraps of food dumped there from the night before. The can crashed over from the cat's weight, sending the animal skidding back into the alleyway in fright.

People quickly roused as alarm clocks accompanied the start of the day. Small clusters of cars started appearing on the stretch of highways and streets. The people inside the cars yawned audibly, drinking badly needed cups of coffee on their ways to work. The cycle of activity and day-to-day life stared again, reborn from the cool period that went with night and blessed sleep.

In Nerima many of the residence still slept on, defying the start of the new day. On the roof of the Tendo dojo, a family of sparrows burst into song, accompanying the rise of patriarch Soun Tendo from a long and refreshing sleep. Tying on a bath robe, he went out into the dining room and stretched loudly. The sound was slightly muffled by the blue toothbrush sticking out from his mouth. He quickly brushed his pearly whites, washing the paste from the brush into the sink.

As he was awake unusually early, no was awake yet, not even dutiful Kasumi, who was usually up before anyone to fix breakfast for the dojo's many occupants. With all the excitement that greeted the family on a daily basis, exhaustion usually kept the majority asleep until well past seven. For Soun, it was something else than his alarm clock that had caused him to awaken at such an early hour. It was his nerves. It wasn't the usual shot nerves that he got when a bad thing happened or a new enemy kidnapped his daughters. No, this was more of an anxious and exciting feeling. He had good reason to feel this way, he justified to himself. His baby girl, Akane, was getting married in three months! The unthinkable and unimaginable was finally happening!

He smiled broadly, taking a drink of water from his cup. Her decision to accept Ranma's proposal, even after the two had turned over a new leaf, had been nothing short of remarkable. Looking back, he realized that he had pushed them together too much in the past. All it had made the two stubborn teens do was fight to stay apart. If he had been patient and waited for nature to take its course, they might have come together quicker. Still, all in all, it was a wonderful and exciting time. Everything had worked out according to his and Genma's plan, even if it was later than expected.

Opening the sliding screen door, he sat down and basked in the early morning sun, yawning loudly. Feeling refreshed, he leaned back and lit a cigarette. Taking a puff, he savored its flavor and allowed the smoke to flare out of his nostrils. Lazy trails of smoke floated up from the cigarette, dissipating quietly into the wind.

It wasn't that he had ever had any doubt of the two and their love for each other. Such was actually far from the truth. It was just that the two teens were so clumsy at love and so unsure of themselves. That had been why they'd worked so hard to show their children just how wonderful they were together. The love had always been there. When danger came, Ranma would go to lengths to protect his friends. But when Akane was in danger Ranma was like an entirely different person. The boy just hadn't been mature enough to realize that the fear he felt when Aakne was in danger spoke volumes about how he really felt for the girl.

But all that was in the past now, Soun reminded himself quickly. Ranma and Akane were finally ready and the wedding was almost here. Things were finally going as they should and in the right speed and time. In a place such as Nerima, it was wonder among wonders.

There would be quite a few changes following all these wonderful changes, Soun reminded himself. Ranma and Akane would sleep in the same bed, children would eventually arrive, and someday he would be a grandpa. It was all so very strange to think about.

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. Perhaps he was thinking too far ahead. The two were only sixteen after all. There was still high school to finish and the dojo to take over. Akane had years to go before she would be ready to have children.

_If only Misaki were here to watch her daughter's growth into womanhood._ Soun sat back against the house and thought of his wife as a bittersweet sensation of pain and love tugged at his heart. He smiled softly, thinking back. No, maybe Ranma and Akane's wouldn't be so strange after all. He and his wife had gone through the very same thing so many years ago. It was the cycle of nature and humanity. No one could change that.

Tears started trickling down his face. Misaki had been such a sweet and vibrant woman. She had still been so full of life when the cancer had taken her from him with its hideous claws of tragedy. That's why he hated going to hospitals; it brought back too many painful memories from the past.

He had been helpless to save her, a fact that brought fits of frustration to the surface every time he thought about it. All he had been able to do was watch helplessly as she wasted away and died in his arms. Even after so many years he could still picture that last day he had seen her. He could still see her beautiful eyes close for the last time, never to gaze upon him again. A long sigh had followed as her soul left the dead vessel, disappearing into a happily afterlife she so rightly deserved.

Yet, amidst the grief there was also a sense of happiness. He had, after all, spent many wonderful years with her and fathered three beautiful daughters. He smiled again, reflecting within his pool of memories. Akane looked more and more like her mother every year. It showed from her smile to the way she moved. Even her laugh was the same. It was a clear, joyful sound more beautiful than any mother nature could make.

He turned his mind to other matters. Today would prove to be a busy day filled with dozens of preparations for the wedding to attend to. He had thrown himself into the wedding planning wholeheartedly by using most of his life savings to prepare the dojo to accommodate all the guests he expected to show up. In fact, he realized suddenly, there were still a lot of decorations to put up and the cake would be arriving today as well as the ice fountain. He also made a mental note to call and request a status on his suit.

Soun was determined not to let the same fiasco that had destroyed the last wedding occur again. But, most importantly of all, he would have to have a man-to-man talk with Ranma on the important features of the life they were about to enter, the boy helpful hints and strategy on how to make his relationships with his new wife as pleasant as his had been with Misaki.

He took another puff from his cigarette and watched the morning sun creep up over the tops of the buildings. Yes, there was so much to do, and not nearly enough time to do it in.

* * *

Ukyo sat up in her room dressed in a crisp, white negligee, drinking a cup of coffee and trying to settle her nerves. Looking at herself in the mirror, the chef chuckled. She almost felt like she was the one getting married. This thought worked against her and she bowed her head, sighing dramatically.

It just wasn't in the cards yet. Besides, she had more than enough to handle right now. She drew up a mental list of things she had yet to do. After the decision had been made to temporarily close her restaurant of a couple of days so she could help Mr. Tendo decorate the dojo, Ukyo had thrown her full support into helping to make Akane's new wedding the best it could. The day before, she had gone shopping with Akane and the two had found, (in their opinion's,) the most gorgeous and breathtaking wedding dress in all of Japan. They had decided to go with a western style wedding instead of Japanese style and in Ukyo's mind there wasn't a prettier dress in the entire nation. The prices were outlandishly high and clearly reflected this mindset, but the girls couldn't have cared less. Price meant nothing in a situation such as this. Marriage only came once in a girl's lifetime!

Akane's dress was made of silk and left her arms and shoulders uncovered. On her hands she would wear a pair of soft white gloves that came up to the middle of her forearm. The back of her dress converged into a large bow that spilled out across her back. The dress was long, running a foot or two past her on the floor. On her face she would wear the typical soft see-through veil.

Ukyo looked towards her closet where her dress was. As the maid of honor, hers was a dark red dress that was simple yet elegant in design to avoid drawing attention away from the bride. She decided, after much coaxing from Akane, to put her hair down for the event.

After that, the two had gone to a jewelry shop to pick up the gold ring Akane had ordered. Rushing out the store giggling all the while, the two girls took their dresses back to Ukyo's restaurant and hid them from prying boy's eyes.

Ukyo looked towards her closet where the dresses waited in secret. As the maid of honor, hers was a dark red dress that was simple yet elegant in design to avoid drawing attention away from the bride. Ukyo decided, after much coaxing from Akane, to put her hair down for the event.

Ukyo drained her cup of coffee and got up to open the shades, letting the warm sun enter the room and warm her naked legs. She stretched happily, throwing her arms out wide. In just a week everything would change even more than it had over the last few months. Everyone was preparing in their own way. Shampoo and Mousse had largely been absent from the picture and Cologne had been attending to Happosai, though all three had formally sent notice that they would not miss the wedding for anything in the world.

Ryoga and Ranma had been just as secret with their going on's as well. Ryoga had rushed off with Ranma every day for the last three days and not come back until early evening each time. If possible, the two were even more nervous than the girls were and dealt with it in a far less graceful manner. Ukyo smiled as she thought of how flustered Ryoga had been acting lately and a giggle slipped through her defenses.

_He' so cute!_ She thought, turning away from the window.

The wedding was doing wonders for deepening her relationship with Ryoga. He'd been wonderfully gallant, caring for her while her ribs and arm had healed from the damage done by Zero. Once she'd regained full mobility they had resumed training and sparing in the morning, running the restaurant by night and spending time together at night.

She realized that in just a week's time Akana and Ranma would be sharing a bed doing this and a little of that and a bright blush touched her cheeks. _I wonder when Ryoga and I will… gah! I can't even think about it! Be still my beating heart! Woh, down girl!_

She slapped her cheeks, using the pain to get her thoughts in order. There was no way she could share a bed with Ryoga as things stood now. He was far more of a man than before she still had doubts that he wouldn't flood the room with blood from his nose. Besides, she was still in the process of trying to instill some kind of sense of location into his thick skull, though she had a sneaking suspicion that such efforts were ultimately doomed to fail. At least he'd become comfortable in the restaurant to not get lost on his way to the bathroom.

Outside in the hallway, she heard noise from the bathroom as the door opened, revealing a yawning, damp-haired Ryoga. He leaned up against her doorway, squinting against the light. "Mornin' honey."

It still sounded a bit weird to have him call her that, though she too had long since started addressing him differently as well. Gone were the silly and immature "stupid's" and "jackasses". Ryoga was getting more and more in touch with his personal feelings every day, just like Ranma had right before his rematch with Taro. It was making forming a relationship foundation all the easier.

She offered him a cup of coffee which he declined. He quietly stepped into the room, padding over to her and draping his arms over her shoulders, gulping at her naked legs and trying to keep his eyes focused on her face. She felt a small thrill at affecting him with her natural attributes.

"Good moring, sugar! Sleep well?" Ukyo embraced her boyfriend, brazenly running her hand across his strong washboard stomach.

"Yeah. Actually, I slept better than I have in a long time. How about you?"

"I slept pretty well too. I'm still really nervous though. I've got butterflies in my stomach most of the time. Strange isn't it? I mean it's not even my wedding."

Ryoga hugged her tightly. "I'm nervous too, nervous and excited. We've just got to try and calm down and take things one hour at a time, that's all. There's still a lot of stuff to be done before the big day and the last thing we need to do is screw up and forget something on account of shot nerves. We owe those two that much, right?"

Ukyo looked up at Ryoga and was started at the expression that blossomed on his face. It wasn't just a nervousness that he felt. It was more than that. It was...apprehension!

"Ryoga, I'm no mind reader, but I can tell when someone is upset. What's wrong?"

Ryoga sighed. "I didn't want to bother you with this but I got a letter that was sent from Herb. He mailed the letter to the Neko Haunten and it was addressed to Ranma."

"Why would he send a letter addressed to Ranma to Shampoo's restaurant?" Ukyo wanted to know.

"Because the one time he came to Tokyo the only place he visited was that restaurant. Against her better judgment, Cologne read the letter then brought it over to me immediately.

A feeling of dread flared up in Ukyo's gut. "What did it say?"

Ryoga held up a small folded up piece of paper and placed it in her hand. "Read it."

_ Ranma,_

_Greetings from China. I wrote this letter to you with the utmost haste for a dire peril is heading to Japan. Allow me to explain._

_After returning home to the Musk Dynasty, I found my two body guards Mint and Lime in a jumpy, apprehensive state. This went on for several months as my suspicions grew. Then they would disappear for hours or days at a time, never answering my summons and shirking their duties and responsibilities. I eventually learned that the two were undergoing serious experimentations on themselves funded by a group of Communist scientists. I locked them up in my prison but they escaped before they could stand trial for treason._

_I pursued them personally but they got away and slipped into the wilds. I will give chase all the way to Japan but I am not sure I can find them before they strike. While undergoing interrogation they brazenly revealed their intentions. It seems they still dwell on their defeat at the hands of your friends all those years ago and desire revenge. Whatever the Han government did to them, it amplified their hatred at the expense of reason. I promise that if I can intercept them I will do so as far away from your wedding as possible so as to not cause any sort of disturbance on your special day. Still, I caution you to be vigilant._

_With sincere regret,_

_Herb_

Ukyo read the letter in stunned silence then read it again to make sure she had read it correctly. A rush of anger gripped her and her hands wadded the defenseless paper up and threw it in the trashcan. "Ryoga, listen to me. This letter doesn't change a thing! Those two are still getting married!"

"It's not that I don't believe it Ukyo. I'm just tired of all these fights. Pantyhose, the Phoenix, the Orochi, Zero, the Oni, Wraith...all of them. I just want to live a normal life with you...and you know… get married too someday.." He blushed deep red.

Ukyo smiled softly and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead. "You have to live the life you were destined to have sugar. We'll talk to Ranma and Akane about this tomorrow and with luck, a plan will develop. If we let the two knuckleheads hinder our plans we'll kick ourselves for it for the rest of our lives."

Ryoga massaged his jaw line, shaking his head. "I thought our situation with the Musk had been resolved the first time around. All these grudges that keep resurfacing are starting to wear me down."

Ukyo leaned up and kissed his chin. "The life of a martial artist really is fraught with perils."

Ryoga couldn't help but crack a small smile. "That's the understatement if I ever heard one. Say, are you sure we should tell Ranma and Akane? I would think the last thing they would need is worrying about anther fight."

Ukyo sighed. "A valid point sugar. However if they do arrive before or during the wedding and they are as strong as Herb spoke, then we'll need everyone ready for anything. It's a sucky situation either way you look at it, but we don't want to hide important information only for someone to get seriously injured as a result."

Ryoga rubbed at his neck. He knew all about the serious injury Mint and Lime could inflict. During their first battle in the mountain forest, Lime had nearly snapped Ryoga's neck during their battle. If the two were even strong now, then the situation did not bode well.

Taking pity on his worried face, she sat down on her bed and patted her lap. "Come here."

Moving around to her side, he dropped to his knees and laid his head in her lap, allowing her soothing hands to massage his neck, rubbing his worries away. There was something about the hands of a beautiful woman that somehow had the mystical power to push even the most blatantly impending doom to the backdrop of his mind.


	3. Chapter 3: Plans, Decisions, and

Chapter 3: Plans, Decisions, and Unexpected Guests.

Ryoga, Mousse, and Ranma sat on the hard roof of the Tendo Dojo listening to their female counterparts chat as they added their own touches to the dojo's already brilliantly decorated exterior. The girls had been working for almost four hours nonstop, showing a gentle determination to everything they touched. It was definitely a joyous time, few had doubts things would ever be any other way. Everyone seemed happy, everyone except for the three boys.

With tense patience, Ryoga had quickly filled his counterparts in on the details Herb had provided in his short letter. The power Mint and Lime had displayed during their original appearance had been far above anything the boys had initially been able to handle. While defeated, the two animal-skinned boys had none-the-less established themselves as real threats. Unpredictable and somewhat naïve though they were, Ranma knew he couldn't count the Musk warriors out, not even after his recent training. Monsters stayed monsters no matter what and chances were good that they had progressed in power much the same as he had. While his motivation for strength came from his desire to survive, theirs came from revenge and bloodlust, emotions that were sometimes equal in their intensity.

"So their coming back for revenge," Ranma muttered, massaging his chin. "Well, why not! After everything that's happened lately, we should hardly be surprised."

"They wouldn't be coming back unless they really thought could beat us," Mousse observed. "Those two are taking this grudge way too far. It's been two years for crying out loud! Not to mention the fact that the duels had been fought honorably and fairly."

"Guys, we beat them once and I'm sure we can do it again! I for one am not about to let them ruin the wedding." Ryoga angrily smashed his fist into a roof tile, accidentally punching a small hole through the roof.

"H-hey! My roof!" a voice called up.

Ryoga blushed and put his hand behind his head. "Sorry about that, Mr. Tendo!"

Mousse brushed the awkward pause the followed from his mind. "I'll protect the ceremony with all my strength. We've suffered through too many hardships to let two nutcases ruin all our work."

"You two need to relax," Ranma muttered.

"There is another option," Ryoga spoke up. "It was Mousse and I who defeated them last time so logically we must be their targets. If we stayed away from the wedding there's no reason to think that they wouldn't stay away from the dojo. That way we could protect everyone by keeping the danger at a distance."

"No way in hell," Ranma spoke up decisively. "I won't have you two facing enemies who might be ten times stronger than before all on your own. This is what I've been training for. Call me pesemistic, but I had a feeling the 'fun' wasn't over yet. Besides, there's no reason they wouldn't want to deal with your friends and allies as well. After all, I was as much a part of that three-on-three brawl as you two were.

"If only we knew when they were going to arrive," Mousse said, wrinkling his brow as he fell into deep thought

"We'll just have to be vigilant," Ranma said, placing his head in his hands. That's one area where they have the absolute advantage. We just have to be ready to counter attack when the opportunity arises.

"My senses tell me they'll come tonight," Mousse declared with utter conviction.

"For some reason I don't see two genetically altered warriors taking the first flight to Narita," Ranma said dryly. "They'll come by boat if anything and avoid people as much as possible. There's no way they'll be here tonight. When it came to talking tough and spouting mystic nonsense, Mousse was top notch. Backing his claims up, however, was a different story much of the time. Strong as he could be, Mousse's "magical" abilities were nothing but a series of deadly parlor tricks.

"You may have a point," Mousse conceded. Though I almost wish they would come tonight. I'd like to settle this quickly rather than have it hang over our heads until they actually do show."

"Waiting for the decisive battle is absolutely nerve-wracking," Ranma said, looking at Ryoga. "Trust us, we know."

"Well, you can count on Shampoo and I to be ready. We've also been training and there's more than one new trick we have up our sleeves."

"Now we come to the big question of this meeting," Ryoga sighed, gesturing downward. "Ukyo thinks we should tell Akane but I'm just worried about ruining the moment for her. I mean, what if they don't come until after the wedding. She would have worried herself sick over it at the expense of the happiness she should have felt. Worse yet, for nothing."

Ranma thought about it for a moment, closing his eyes. The other boys watched him quietly. Whatever he decided, they would abide by. It was only fair considering Ranma and Akane had the most to lose out of the situation.

"I'll tell her," Ranma said, rubbing a hand across her face. "Later tonight when are alone. It has to be me. And listen guys, when they do show up you know the girls will want to fight. We don't have any grounds to stop them anymore, not since they've proven themselves as true martial artists, but cover them as much as possible. Don't let Mint and Lime get near them. If they can get Akane or Ukyo or any of the others as a hostage then we've already lost."

"Ryogggaaa! Ranmmmmaaa! Mousssseee! Time for lunchhhhh!" Ukyo called up to them. Problem put on the back burner for the moment at least, the three boys dashed off the roof, eager to rejoin their ladies.

* * *

The final decorations were all set up at last. The revamped dojo contained almost fifty chairs, just enough for all the guests to sit and denying room to any gatecrashers who might show up and ruin things, thereby eliminating the occurrences of the previous wedding attempt after Saffron's defeat. On top of that, Mousse and Shampoo had volunteered to play the part of perimeter patrol in case the Kuno siblings tried to get cute.

A red carpet was laid out in between the two sides of chairs, paving the way to a wooden alter and a new beginnings for the happy couple. Ribbons and congratulation signs littered the house and the yard in a spectacular fashion.

Walking home from Ranma's house after the final touches had been set, Ukyo sighed bowing her head as troubled thoughts held at bay all day entered her mind. Distressed signals rarely emanated from her usually happy demeanor and Ryoga's watchful eyes widened as she downright frowned.

"Ukyo, what's wrong?" Ryoga asked, touching her shoulder in concern.

Shivering, Ukyo wrapped her arms around herself and turned her head into the wind. The cool breeze whipped her long luscious hair behind her with angelic grace. "Despite my earlier confidence, I can't get Herb's letter out of my mind. What if Mint and Lime really do make it in time? They could ruin everything!"

Ryoga folded his hands behind his back and nodded his head. "We talked about it today while you were decorating. Ranma isn't convinced but Mousse is certain they'll strike tomorrow."

Ukyo clenched her eyes shut. "I hope he's wrong, I really do."

"We'll stop them just as we did everyone else that's come to do us harm," Ryoga said earnestly.

Ukyo nodded glumly. "Yes, but at what price?"

Ryoga quietly closed his mouth as he words slammed into his mind. That wasn't a question he even wanted to consider and yet, she brought up a good point. What if Mint and Lime were defeated at the cost of the wedding? That wasn't an even trade, at least not in his mind. If they attacked and the wedding was destroyed, the evil duo still won, at least in a sense. That scenario was not acceptable.

He turned to face forward. "Well it won't do us any good brooding over it. Let's keep our guard up but keep the preparations going as normal. Worrying about it all night will drive me crazy."

Smiling slightly, Ukyo fished for his hand and felt his warm protective grip. "You are so right Ryo-chan. Let's just take it one step at a time."

Ryoga took secret pride in managing to change her mood but a strong sense of foreboding still plagued him as it swam in the back of his mind like a vindictive shark. Sighing inside, he quietly scanned the surroundings as they walked home, keeping a vigilant watch.

"Everything will be fine, Ukyo. I promise."

He wished against fate that he could keep that promise.

* * *

Ranma sat on the roof of the dojo and heard the familiar sound of Akane moving the ladder against the tiles to climb up beside him. Dressed in a soft sweater to ward of the cool summer breeze after the warm afternoon, she fixed him with a warm smile and sat next to him, taking his hand in hers.

"Hey." Her eyes shined as she looked at him. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

She seemed so genuinely happy that Ranma couldn't meet her gaze. It broke his heart to have to drop such a terrible bombshell just a few days before their wedding. Picking up on the no so pleasant physical cues, she shifted to sit in front of him and took his head in her hands, gently forcing him to look her in the eye.

"What is it Ranma?"

"Akane, I… I'm afraid I have some bad news. Herb sent us a letter after we sent out wedding invitations. He wanted to let us know ahead of time that his two bodyguards went and turned traitor."

She didn't understand and her expression illustrated as much. "Look Akane," he continued. "Herb seems to think Mind and Lime are tracking us. They know the town where we all live and there's a chance they'll arrive in the next few days. Apparently they are stronger now, so the danger is real."

Akane leaned back and her face turned white. She began to shake her head slowly from side-to-side. "No. No, no no no no no!"

Ranma gripped her shoulders and shook her once to regain her attention. "Akane, I won't let them hurt your or anyone else. But I'm wondering if we shouldn't postpone the wedding."

Akane's eyes flashed with anger. "What? Again?!" Frustration bubbled over. "No! I don't want another distruption, not after all we've been through and especially not on account of two lunatics who may or may not even show up!"

"Are you sure?" he searched her eyes. She was clearly thinking with her heart and not her mind, but Ranma didn't have it in him to crush her dreams. Besides, she did have a point. There was no guarantee Mint and Lime would be there in time. With the honeymoon already booked for Kyoto, there was a chance they would be far away when Mint and Lime showed up. Ryoga and Mouse would have Ukyo, Shampoo, Cologne, and Soun, and Genma as well as a few others to help deal with the threat.

Of course this didn't sit well with Ranma. It would feel too much like running away from a fight. Even if the original grudge wasn't leveled against him, there was no way he would be ok with leaving his friends to face the coming dangers alone.

Still, there was the third possibility of Herb arriving in time to deal with his rouge guards. He articulated this Akane and settled her nerves to a degree. That would be the ideal situation. Herb was terrifyingly powerful and if he could put the two in their place without any of them needing to get involved than all the better.

"Alright Akane," he said. "The show will go on."

"Thank you," she whispered, kissing his hand.

He put on a brave face and smiled, but Ranma couldn't help but wonder if he was sparing her feelings now only to inadvertently crush them later. The strange sense of foreboding he'd felt right before Wraith's attack was back again and he wasn't about to ignore it again.

* * *

Kasumi hummed a happy tune on the way home from market. She often liked to cut through the local park on the way home to watch the ducks in the pond. As the hot afternoon cooled she watched with a smile as the neighborhood kids played a spirited game of soccer, working up an appetite before their parents called them home for dinner. Balancing the bags in both hands, she watched a bad kick send the ball skidding across the ground towards her. As the kids gestured for her to return it, she kicked the ball back to the group and continued on her way home.

The wedding was almost here and it was all the eldest sister could do to contain her enthusiasm. Rather than act resigned to it, Akane seemed ecstatic. Ranma, who had worried her with a glum attitude a month ago, seemed to have conquered whatever had been bothering him and completely come around to the idea as well.

In her mind they were too young to marry but she'd given up on protesting it further. Having seen the level of dedication towards one another since before Taro showed back up, she was now convinced that the pair would be absolutely fine. It wasn't as if they were moving out of the house. They still had two more years of school to finish and as long as an eye could be kept on the two of them, she had little reason for further worry.

"Oh, is that you Kasumi?"

Turning her head towards the voice on a nearby bench, the Tendo girl was greeted by a polite smile from the beautiful dark haired girl who had called her. The younger girl beside the first waved her hand energetically.

Kasumi's eyesbrows rose in surprise. "Oh! Natsumi and Kurumi! How are the two of you? It has been quite a while!"

Dressed in their tattered traveling gear and sacks that contained their meager belongings, both the girls looked quite a bit worse for the wear.

Natsumi, still smiling, bowed her head with embarrassment. "We did not expect to be back through Tokyo again so soon. But still, it is nice to run into you. A familiar face after traveling is always a welcomed sight."

"Where did you two end up going after you left the dojo?"

"North," Kurumi piped in. "We found jobs working as waitresses but um…" she pushed her two pointer fingers together as her voice trailed off.

Natsumi's pleasant expression turned angry. "What she means to say is that the landlord who offered the job and a place to sleep expected some 'extra' compensation, so we left and started out on our own again."

"Oh my! You poor dears."

"Please don't worry about us," Natsumi replied, recovering herself and waving her hands in front of her body. "We are survivors and we always get by. We'll try moving south and look for more work. We're just going to be camping in the woods tonight and be off first thing in the morning."

Kurumi's stomach growled and she put a hand behind her head, laughing it off.

Kasumi, while an optimist and a kind person, could tell genuine from a scam. The two unfortunate girls weren't looking for any of her food, they were merely being charitable. Judging from the uncertainty in her voice when she'd called out to Kasumi, it was clear that Natsumi clearly wasn't sure if she should have gotten her attention at all after the misunderstanding situation in the dojo that had led them to impose while believing Soun was their long lost father.

"Why don't the two of you come home with me tonight? We are having fish tonight and there is certainly enough for everyone."

While clearly tempted, Natsumi looked stricken. Seeing the drool on her sister's face, she pushed the girl's head down into a sitting bow to hide it. "You are very kind, but it would be absolutely out of place for us to impose again, especially after what happened last time."

Kasumi's smile persisted. "I insist."

Natsumi blushed, looking away. "Very well, if you insist. We will humbly accept. But please, allow us to carry those bags for you."

* * *

Arriving back to the house, everyone was in the living room watching tv or reading. A universal look of surprise greeted the three girls as they came into the living room and Natsumi and Kurumi immediately fell to their knees and bowed low, further adding to the awkwardness of the situation.

"I saw them in the park on the way home from dinner and I invited them for dinner."

"Please pardon us for intruding again," the elder sister said, embarrassed.

"You two aren't here to challenge us again for the right to carry on the dojo are you?" Ranma asked suspiciously.

"No, of course not!" Kurumi said, bowing lower until the front flap of her sailor styled school uniform touched the wooden floor. "I mean, I know we said that someday we would come back for a rematch but we hadn't planned on bothering any of you again. We were beat fair and square."

"Girls, please! No need to be so formal. We're all friends here," Soun said.

"Yes Fath-er, pardon me, Mr. Tendo." Natsumi visibly relaxed

gesturing for them to join them at the table while Kasumi finished preparing dinner. Kurumi obliged but Natsumi politely offered to go help Kasumi finish dinner.

The Saotome's and Tendo's made small talk and introduce the girl as Nadoka came in from making adjustments to the decorations in the dojo. Feeling comfortable due to the warm and hospitable environment, Natsumi closed her eyes and greeted the older woman. After introductions were made and Nadoka was brought up to speed, they proceeded to tell the girls all about the wedding, making sure to speak loudly enough for Natsumi to hear from the kitchen.

"You two are getting married?!" Kurumi's eyes widened and began to sparkle. "How romantic! Congratulations!"

"We would be honored if you could attend," Nadoka said with a gentle smile. "We have room for two more places."

The young girl shook her head. "Oh thank you very much but we don't have a home or a place to stay around here. Besides, we'll be leaving town first thing in the morning."

Nadoka exchanged a brief glance with Soun. "I'm very sorry to hear that. But at least you can enjoy dinner with us tonight."

"Thank you very much Mrs. Saotome! It smells really good!" Kurumi wiped away drool from her lips as the delicious kitchen aroma wafted past her nose.

Dinner came shortly thereafter and the family made small talk with the two guests as everyone dug in. Question about the wedding were fielded and it was clear the two girls wanted to know all the details. Having lived their entire lives on the road, it was more than likely true that they'd never stayed in one place for very long or even had romantic encounters of their own.

The only sad moment to the entire festivity was when Genma let slip that Happosai was dying when one of the girls asked where he was.

"Oh, I see. That is terribly tragic." Natsumi's expression betrayed a conflict of emotions and for good reason. Happosai had saved the girls from a bear attack when they had been children but he had also formulated the lie that had led them on a while goose chase for a father they'd never had for the next decade or so of their lives. Now, with the dream of being reunited with a family they'd never truly had shattered and dead, the only thing the girls could do was move on and try to find a job in order to survive.

Nadoka gently redirected the conversation after that and laughter and merriment erupted from around the table. Only Soun was reserved as he ate his food in silence, deep in thought.

At last dinner was done. Full and happy, the two orphans bowed low in thanks for the meal and prepared to see their way out. Just as they were heading for the door, Soun cleared his throat and stood up. "Girls, wait a minute, if you will."

Confused, they turned around to face him, gathering up the belongings they had piled up near the front door.

"Listen girls," Soun said. "I didn't like leaving things how it ended up last time. The facts are that the master of our school deceived you and made your lives very difficult. We owe you."

"Oh no sir," Natsumi shook her head adamantly. "We caused more than enough trouble last time. There is absolutely no debt to be repaid."

Soun cleared his throat. "I have three little girls who I love more than anything in the world." He looked at all three with affection before returning his gaze to Natsumi. "The most wonderful gift a father is bestowed with is a child and the how that child makes us feel. I may not be your father but I do care about both of you. I'll be damned if I'm just going to let you go off and survive in the wilds again."

Nadoka, who'd been hoping for this speech all throughout dinner, gave an uncharacteristic cheer. "Yes!"

The two girls stared wide-eyed as Soun continued. "I'm not talking about you two staying here temporarily. I'm offering you a permanent home for as long as you wish for it. Two beautiful young ladies like yourselves shouldn't be struggling just to survive."

The two girls looked at one another. Kurumi balled her hand up to her chest and meekly asked, "Do you mean it sir?"

"I do."

The younger girl began to cry and Natsumi fell to her knees in shock. Soun could tell that the girl wanted to accept the offer immediately but she still had her pride. She did not want to be given charity or a chance at a life built on a foundation of pity. Fortunately Soun was prepared for this.

"Natsumi, I have several conditions that you both must agree to meet in order for the offer to stand."

She wiped tears away from her eyes, touched at just how kindhearted and generous he was. "Yes sir?"

"First off, you two will attend school and gain an education. I'm not sure when the last time you both went was but I think it is safe to say you'll need some government assistance. We'll get you both enrolled in night remedial classes and caught up to speed. Second, you can help Kasumi with some of the chores around the house and the dojo. Consider it to be your chores for room and board. Oh, and please don't dote on me as much as you did last time."

Natsumi nodded at the reasonable requests. "Yes sir. What else?"

Soun had tried to maintain a stiff upper lip to dominate the conversation but seeing the two girls who had practically given up on hope and the chance for a normal life now crying with joy was enough to move him to tears as well. He thought of his wife and he knew that if she had still been alive, she would have supported this decision as well. The last time the girls had lived in the house the situation had been uncomfortable because he had known they were not his children even though they called him father. This time, he was ready and the offer was made of his own free will.

"The last condition," he said as his voice cracked and wavered, "is that you both call me father and consider yourselves to be part of our family."

All their reservations fell apart and Soun turned as both the girls fell into his arms, crying as they thanked him over and over again. Closing his eyes, he cried with them, hugging the two close as everyone watched the emotional scene with tears in their eyes as well. Even Ranma seemed to be affected and he reached for Akane's hand, giving it a squeeze as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"But I told you before that we couldn't return until we were strong enough to carry on the Anything Goes School," Natsume said softly.

"It was always meant to be Ranma and Akane. That arrangement was made before they were born," Soun said. "Pride and honor are wonderful things but sometimes it's best to let people care about you. Besides, there will always be a place for you two in our school. You can count on that.

"This means…" Natsumi took a deep shuttering breath, trying to talk between sobs, "so much to us. Thank you father! Thank you!"

It was a long time before they had calmed down enough to talk again. Looking at each other's red, swollen faces, all they could do was laugh. The three Tendo sisters came to welcome the new additions to the family and hugs were passed around. Akane in particular was given a lot of attention by the two former homeless girls, no doubt because they wanted their former rival to understand that they cared about her too.

"All of our rooms are full right now," Soun said, pondering the situation while scratching his chin. "But we do have a small storage building beside the dojo. I know it isn't much, but I can clean it out tonight and make it livable until Master Happosai…"

His voice trailed off sadly and the girls shook their heads. "It will be perfect, thank you father. We really don't need a lot, really."

"Well, we'd better get to work. Genma, Ranma give me a hand."

Kurumi looked at the small tray lying next to the table and looked up at Soun. "Papa, would you mind if I took Happosai his dinner? He didn't come out of his room and I'm sure he's starving."

"We'll both do it," Natsumi interjected. "If you don't mind."

Soun nodded and Kurumi took the plate. As the girls left the room, Nadoka smiled in a motherly fashion. "Those two are wonderful young ladies. You did the right thing Soun."

"Let's leave them alone to make peace with the master," Soun said. "I think all three of them are about to gain some much needed closure. Come on men, we have work to do.

Happosai stirred, sitting up on his futon when he heard a light tap on the door. "Come on in Kasumi."

On most days he was left to rest in peace. Occasionally he came out to smoke his pipe or play a game of Shogi with Soun and Genma, but for the most part he rested quietly in his room until Kasumi brought him dinner.

He wasn't prepared for the two girls who stood in his doorway looking very uncomfortable. He raised a finger, starting to sweat. "It's you two!"

"Good evening, Master Happosai. We brought you dinner. It should still be warm." With care, Natsumi and Kurumi came in and knelt on the floor by his bed, placing the tray of food in front of him.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Soun has adopted us."

The old man smiled softly. "I'm so glad to hear that." His voice had gone from high and energetic the first time they met him to low and raspy.

In truth Natsumi hadn't quite known how she was going to react when she got the old man alone. She owed him a piece of her mind. But seeing him so feeble and pitiful she didn't have the heart and she just sighed, draping her long pony tail over one shoulder.

"Are you two… still upset about me pretending to be Soun?"

"No. Natsumi answered immediately. "Thanks to you, everything worked out in the end. What you did was wrong, deceitful, and hurtful, but it ended well. We were able to meet a wonderful family who extended their hearts to two traveling orphans. So, I suppose that I should thank you in a way."

"I'm told you two are strong. You even beat Ranma once. That is no small feat." Happosai tried to laugh but it came out as a raspy cough instead. He lay back down on his bed and Kurumi took it upon herself to help feed the man.

Happosai pointed at them with one shaking hand. "As thanks for your forgiveness and in recognition of your strength, I want to formally welcome you both into the Anything Goes School. I think you two will make fine additions. I will be gone soon and it warms my heart to know that the school will be left to those who truly care. You both may not be the chosen successors, but you can still play an important part in the school's history."

"We will," Natsumi vowed, bowing her head, swallowing the last of her anger. "All our lives we've only been able to depend on two things: each other and the martial arts. We've trained every single day and while we did indeed lose fairly, I think-"

Kurumi tapped her sister on the shoulder and brought a finger to her lips pointing. Looking down, Natsumi saw that Happosai had fallen asleep. Drawing a blanket up around the old man's shoulders, Natsumi signaled for them to go. Stepping outside the door and closing it quietly behind them, she released the last of her conflicting emotions and frustration as a long drawn out sigh. Peace followed and she shared a small knowing smile with her sister before they moved back down the hall towards the kitchen to deposit the tray and dishes.

Out in the hall, Nabiki was waiting for them. "Get a good night's rest girls! Tomorrow I'm going to take you two out shopping for some new clothes! How does that sound?"

"That's very kind of you, but… we don't have any money," Kurumi pulled out her pockets to show they were empty.

"Oh don't worry about that," Nabiki said with a wink. "I'll just put it on your tab and you can repay me later. For now, just relax and let us spoil you all a bit." Waving the middle daughter turned and walked out of the room, leaving her two new sisters looking bewildered.

"Should we should go help them?" Kurumi gestured to the noise going on in the backyard. "They are fixing us up a room to stay in, after all."

"Yes, it would be rude to stand by and not help."

Hand-in-hand, the two sisters went to help the men in the yard, stepping into their new lives as members of the Tendo family.


	4. Chapter 4: Father Makes Three

Chapter 4: Father Makes Three

Ryoga sat outside of Ukyo's restaurant staring up at the bright stars above as Ukyo made a check list of things to do in the final days before the wedding. He was really proud of her for holding fast to her resolve and carrying out her duties in the face of impending evil. From what he understood, a bridesmaid's job was no laughing matter as it was. Her abundance of enthusiasm was quite infectious. He took a deep breath, feeling strangely refreshed. Was it strange to be so calm in the face of certain danger, he wondered. Maybe he'd just gotten used to having his life put in danger every few months, sad as that thought was.

Yet, deep down he was still troubled. Neither about Mint and Lime, nor about the danger they posed, but how the wedding made him feel. He was fighting a battle and his insecurities were his opponent. He admitted that he was slightly jealous of Ranma and Akane. He too wanted so badly to join Ukyo in blissful union. However, while he was eager to take this next large step in his life, a part of him was terrified. There was no doubt in his mind that neither he nor Ukyo were ready. They hadn't been dating long enough to entertain such thoughts. That didn't mean he didn't fantasize about it.

He sighed loudly. Was he truly ready to settle down? He instantly checked that down, smiling wryly. Nothing ever "settled down" in Nermia. He looked up at the moon and watched it glow, thinking of his curse.

That's right, he realized with a start. There were plenty of other things he wanted to do in the meantime. Finding a cure and fixing his shyness around Ukyo should take top priority. So what if Ranma got married first?

Everything in his life except for his love for Ukyo seemed so uncertain. On top of his directional issues, insecurities, and shyness, he now had blood on his hands. What guarantee did he have that Ukyo would even want to spend her life with a murderer?

On top of all that, Ranma had sent invitations to the wedding to Ryoga's family as a polite gesture, but there had been no reply. Ryoga hadn't seen his parents in almost two years so he had little hope that they'd seen the invitation, or found their way home to check the mail, for that matter.

Ukyo appeared out of nowhere as if she had read his thoughts and sat next to him, fishing for his hand. "I just called Akane. You remember those two food thieves from a while back? The ones who beat Akane and kicked her out of the house for a while? Turns out the Tendo's adopted them tonight."

"You're kidding?"

"Nope! Voted in as part of the family via unanimous vote."

"Well, from what I saw of those two, they're really strong. Some extra firepower won't hurt when…"

"Let's not bring that up again right now," she said suddenly, heading him off at the pass.

Ryoga fell silent again for a few moments and he sat there lost in tought, nudged a loose rock with his toe and studying it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Whats wrong sugar?"

He looked up at her and shrugged.

She sat down next to him and gave him her full attention. "It's Zero again, isn't it?"

"I don't think about that day much anymore," he said defensively. "It's just that every now and then it all comes back to me. It's like a reoccurring nightmare that I just can't shake."

"Listen sugar, I'm not necessarily the most sensitive girl. I mean, I'm not Shampoo or Akane mind you. I have some tact. But I'll be the first to tell you that you did what you had to do in a battle not of your choosing. That jackass would have killed me and the others. Scum like that always get what's coming to them. Furthermore, you didn't kill him on purpose. It was an accident."

She tapped his nose. "Besides, we have a wedding to help our friends get through. So let's focus on that for now, ok? When it's over, we can work out anything you need help with. Deal?"

He nodded. "Deal. You really do make me feel better. Thanks a lot Ukyo."

"Yeah, we get along pretty well, don't we?" she stood up and put a hand on her hip. "It's hard to believe we would mesh so well after our first meeting. And what a meeting it was, eh?"

A flustered expression caused him to start stuttering, causing Ukyo to giggle. He remembered the incident all too well. He and Ukyo had gotten into a fight concerning Ranma at Furinkan the day after she had transferred there. He had almost knocked her out cold, but luckily Ranma had opened her shirt, showing him that the squealing Ukyo was in fact a girl and not a boy as he had first thought.

"Yeah, everyone's changed a lot since then. I guess we're all starting to grow up." Ryoga smiled thoughtfully.

"Yeah, my baby girl has grown up a lot these past two years now that you mention it! I almost didn't recognize her myself"

The two teens turned their heads around quickly to see a short and stocky middle aged man step out from the side of the restaurant. His face was covered in a short black beard and his blue eyes, the same color as Ukyo's, shone in the cool evening light. He was wearing his cooking attire, the same type Ukyo wore. Ryoga started to rise to his feet to challenge the intruder when he glanced over at Ukyo and relaxed as a look of pure elation crossed her face.

"Papa!" She sprang to her feet and embraced him tightly. "Papa, I've missed you so much! I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow! Thanks for coming to the wedding!" Ukyo kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly.

"I've missed you too, sweetheart. The train got in early so I decided to take my chances and stop in for a bit." He smiled broadly and put his fingers under her chin, raising her face to look up at him. "My little girl has become a woman! You're the spitin' image of your mother, Ukyo. Bless her soul. Ranma and his sad excuse of a father really messed up letting you get away."

"It all worked out for the best Papa." Ukyo beamed then tugged on his arm sleeve. "I want you to meet Ryoga Hibiki. He's my boyfriend."

Ryoga felt a cold sweat sprout on his forehead and he nervously bowed low before her father. "It is an honor to meet you Mr. Kuonji."

"Hello, Ryoga. It's nice to finally meet the boy my daughter has written to me so much about."

Ryoga stood up straight and clasped the other man's hand in a strong handshake. Mr. Konji's eyes widened slightly at the powerful grip the young man had. He had more strength in his hands then a boy of his age should ever possess. There was no doubt the young man was a warrior. Even if he hadn't had such strength, the fire that blazed in his eyes was unmistakable.

"You're a martial artist. I can tell that much. Been giving Ukyo a few lessons too eh? Good for you son, good for you!

Ryoga looked first at Ukyo who gave him a small smile. "I assure you that she's taught me far more than I've taught her."

The bearded man slapped Ryoga on the back. "Ha! Who knew there were still modest men in the world! You hold onto this one Ukyo. He's definitely a keeper."

Ukyo slipped her hand into Ryoga's. "Father, would you stay over with us tonight? I've been dying to show you the restaurant and there's so much we need to catch up on!"

Mr. Konji scratched at his beard. "Well, I was planning on renting a hotel room but if my baby girl wants me to stay then how can I refuse?!" His merry, disarming laugh brought smiles to the faces of the two lovers.

Walking in behind Ukyo and her father, Ryoga threw his fears of the coming attack out as he quietly shut the door behind him. What was to be was to be and he simply wasn't going to worry about it any longer. Eager to make a good and lasting impression he followed the two into the kitchen to make them some tea.

* * *

Natsumi and Kurumi lay on a futon in the small storage shed off to the side of the dojo. A soft rain had started up and the two listened as it pitter-pattered against the roof. There was silence between them as both tried to digest everything that had happened throughout the last twelve hours. There was no doubt that they were glad to be back. This dojo had been the only place where they'd ever felt safe and happy. This time around though, they truly felt like part of the family.

However it hadn't all been fun conversation after the men had cleaned up the shed and turned it into temporary housing. Ranma had informed the four of them of the imminent attack of Mint and Lime. It had been all the two new Tendo girls could do to console him.

After Genma managed to convince Soun to come with him back to the house to distract him from taking further steps towards a nervous breakdown, Ranma had filled the two sisters in on everything that had happened since their first departure, from Saffron to Wraith. He also cleared up any confusion as to his curse.

"Hey Natsumi," Kurumi finally said, looking over at the boxes stacked against the wall. "Ranma's had a pretty hard life huh? I mean, we always thought that everyone else who had a home was better off than us right? Now I'm not so sure."

"It would seem so. But we're here now and we can change things." She nodded confidently." I'm sure we can help out. All these wonderful people welcomed us into their family. They've given us a purpose and duty other than just to survive."

Her sister rolled over and blinked her large brown eyes. "Duty? Purpose?"

Natsumi smiled confidently. "That's right. Now we can protect those people. We'll help return things to normal."

"A normal life," Kurumi's voice softened with whimsy. "We'll get to go to school and make friends, sleep in a bed every night."

"Not have to worry about going hungry or hunting small animals in the wilds," her sister added.

"Thank goodness for that too. I was getting tired of rabbit."

The list of pros against cons went on and both the sisters laughed into the night. Of everyone living in the Tendo dojo, the two former vagabonds were the only ones looking forward to the attack because they had something to prove. Against all odds, Natsumi and Kurumi went to sleep that night vowing to defend the wedding at all costs. That singular goal brought them the best sleep they'd had in months.


	5. Chapter 5: An Unexpected Reunion

Chapter 5: An Unexpected Reunion

The next day, early morning.

Ranma sat cross-legged on a largest rock encircling the large Koi pond, deep in meditation. Even as the sun was rising, the Tendo household awoke with bustling activity. Akane and her sisters were upstairs admiring each other's dresses and planning out the day. Soun and Happosai went to the dojo after breakfast to meet up with Cologne and Mousse adding on the final details to the makeshift wedding hall. In the kitchen, Shampoo was just preparing the main course for the coming feast. Her angelic singing filled all their ears.

Spirits were running high and there was no sign of Mint and Lime. With the wedding just two days away, it seemed as if Ranma and Akane would finally catch a break.

Ranma felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see his father looking down at him, glasses shinning in rising sunlight. He bore a completely serious look of determination on his large face. A trifle bit of interest seeped into Ranma's expression.

"Hey pop, what's up?"

"Ranma m' boy, soon you will willingly enter a new life with Akane. You do realize that the major task to complete in the next several years is to create an heir to the Saotome line, don't you?"

"Create?" Ranma blinked.

Genma paused a moment then sighed. "Ranma haven't they taught you about the 'birds and the bee's' at school?"

"If you mean sex education, then no. You had us moving around so much that I never stayed long enough in school to catch that part. All I know is what they talk about in the locker rooms and stuff."

Genma sighed and sat next to his son. "Ranma my boy, it's time we had a long, long father to son talk..."

* * *

"Akane, your dress is so pretty! It must have cost a fortune," Nabiki exclaimed, running the material through her fingers. Akane frowned. No doubt Nabiki was running figures on how much she could sell it for after the wedding.

Kasumi seemed to have similar thoughts. She took it from her sister and placed it back in its plastic protector before hanging it on a hook on the back of the door.

Akane sat down on her bed, still clad in her yellow P.j.'s. "Well, it was expensive but I've been saving for quite some time. Plus, dad was more than happy to help me out in defraying the cost. He's almost more excited about this then I am!"

Kasumi seemed on the verge of getting a little bit emotional. "Oh my. It's still so hard to believe! Our little sister is getting married. We always knew you would marry before us, but now that the day is here... well, I just can't believe it."

Kasumi kissed Akane's forehead as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "I know you and Ranma will be perfectly happy together."

Akane smiled. "Ranma and I always could be happy together. We were just too immature to realize it."

"Speaking of making a guy happy Akane, did you learn about 'IT'?" Nabiki asked leaning over and giving her sister a wink.

Akane fidgeted, blushing furiously. "Only what they taught us in school…"

Nabiki whistled. "Sis, that isn't going to help you at all! You need info. What to do, what not to do, where to put your hands. etc."

Akane sat on her bed, blushing crimson as her sister went into full detail on what to do the night of the wedding. Kasumi listened too, occasionally muttering an 'oh my' when Nabiki got overly graphic.

* * *

The next morning after a good night's sleep and breakfast, the three had sat down to catch up.

"So then Ryoga and I eventually escaped from the tunnel and the ghosts and when we came out everyone thought we were a couple! They all cheered as we got to the concession stand. I never blushed so much for so long in my life!"

Mr. Konji looked at his daughter, laughing loudly. "You run away from home for revenge and end up getting caught up in this whirlwind life and surprisingly enough, you enjoy it! I'll tell ya, the world sure is strange sometimes."

Ukyo passed him a piping hot cup of tea. "I enjoy it here. Osaka was just too boring, even when I was a little girl."

Mr Konji grinned happily. "Ukyo, you make me jealous! Your cooking is even better than mine and you're in better shape to boot!" He grinned. "So Ryoga, I heard you and Ranma used to be rivals, even got in some pretty big scraps along the way?"

Ryoga nodded. "Yeah, we did. But we found out that we fight better together then we do against each other. I couldn't have beaten Pantyhose without him."

Mr. Konji nodded. "I will enjoy meeting young Ranma again. Besides, I think I need to have a _nice _and _friendly _chat with Genma anyways." He cracked his knuckles as a dangerous twinkle entered his eyes.

U kyo lightly bonked her father on the head. "Wait till after the wedding to get your revenge, Papa! Speaking of which, Ryoga, aren't your parents supposta' be there too?"

R yoga looked crestfallen. "I sent them the invitation a week ago but I don't think they will make it in time. Their sense of direction is even worse than mine."

Ukyo frowned. _Poor guy. He hasn't seen his family in so long and he won't even get to see them during the biggest moment of his life._

Sadness gripped Ryoga as Ukyo unintentionally reminded him of his last piece of bad news. The loneliness he felt in the long separation from his family was eating him alive inside. If they didn't make it to his wedding he didn't know what he would do. Glumly he realized he had to prepare him for that seemingly certain eventuality. It wasn't that they wouldn't try to come, he reasoned, it wasn't their fault they had no sense of direction. He took some comfort in the fact that they'd probably end up in China while trying to find him.

There was a knock on the front door. Ryoga jumped up, motioning for the other two to remain seated. _Is it Mint and Lime? It couldn't be them. They wouldn't waste time knocking._

He grabbed his umbrella just in case and went to the door, unlocking it slowly. He opened it a crack and peered out. It never hurt to be cautious.

A look of disbelief appearing on his face.

Mr. Konji jumped up and ran to his side. "What's the matter?"

Ryoga didn't answer. Mr. Konji reached for the door handle and jerked the door open with incredible speed. Standing there in the doorway were two people who clearly looked as confused as he did.

"Could you tell us how to get to the Tendo Dojo? We're late for a wedding and we're utterly lost." An attractive woman said, brushing a strand of black hair from her face. A black headband was clearly noticeable through her bangs. She was dressed in a formal kimono that simply shouted elegance and grace.

"Yes, its most urgent we get there as soon as possible," the man said. He had deep gray eyes and a yellow bandanna on that somehow matched with his black tuxedo.

"M-mom? Dad? Is it really you?" Ryoga chocked out as tears springing from his eyes. Was this some trick? Was it real? He couldn't believe it! He closed his eyes then opened them again and saw to his utter joy that it was no dream or figment of his imagination.

"RYOGA!" Mrs. Hibiki ran forward and grabbed her son in a bone crushing bear hug. Ryoga couldn't have cared less. Tears streamed from her dark gray eyes and fell onto his shoulder. "Oh my boy, my boy, my boy! I've missed you so much!"

The tears wouldn't stop flowing but Ryoga didn't care. He returned his mother's hug, felt his loneliness and sadness wash away like sand in water. She pulled him away and looked him over, smiling gently. "Ryoga, you've grown up on me! My little baby boy has become a man!"

Ryoga's father embraced his son warmly then stepped back to shake his hand. He was clearly pleased to see the strapping young man his son had become during their long abbesses from each other. His was having a slightly better time at controlling his emotions then his wife, but Ryoga could still see the mistiness in Mr. Hibiki's eyes as he looked over his son with pride. "You have grown up. I didn't even recognize you!"

Ryoga was growing flustered under all this attention. He had so much he wanted to say but no words would come out. He stood there as his parents fussed over him, unsure of what to do or say, afraid of ruining the moment.

What was he thinking?! He knew exactly what he had to do! Banishing his flustered senses, he took a moment to get a grip on himself then he fixed his gaze on his parents. "Mom, Dad, I love you." He hugged them both tightly, allowing the tears to flow with abandon at last.

"Would you like to come in?" Ukyo appeared at his side, squeezing his shoulder to show him she was here to support him during this heartwarming moment.

"You must be Miss Konji!" Ryoga's mother exclaimed, clasping her hands. "Ryoga has told us all about you in the last letter he sent us. I'm so glad he found such a sweet girl like you! I'm sure you two will be very happy together!" Ukyo flushed and said nothing as the group walked into the main dining area.

"Mother, Father, allow me to introduce Mr. Konji, Ukyo's father." Ryoga said, motioning politely with his hand. Greetings and handshakes were given out and the group sat down at a table.

Mr Konji massaged his aching hand. _Now I know where Ryoga got his strength from!_

"Tell us, son, how was the wedding? We tried our hardest to make it on time but well...you know how it is…" Mr. Hibiki took off his glasses and polished them.

"Dad, you didn't miss it. The event is tomorrow."

Mrs. Hibiki squealed happily, bouncing up and down in her seat. "Tanaka, did you hear that! We weren't too late after all!" She started into a fresh set of tears that proceeded to flood the restaurant floor.

Mr. Hibiki did his best to calm her down as he talked to his son. "Ryoga, we have a lot of catching up to do. You used to write us all the time but you stopped a few months back. What happened?"

Ryoga chuckled softly. "Mom, Dad, get comfortable. It's a long story."


	6. Chapter 6: Tangible Nightmares

Chapter 6: Tangible Nightmares

Ranma sat there looking at his father as his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Genma calmly lit his pipe and stuck it in his mouth, puffing away casually as if he and his son were only talking about the weather. For a moment there was silence and then a Koi jumped into the water, landing with a small splash back into the pool. This change in the environment kick started Ranma's normally slow brain processing power into full gear.

"Your kidding... right pop? That was just a sick joke of yours...right? You were just fooling? Trying to get me more nervous, right?" He laughed nervously.

Genma shook his head. "Ranma my boy, it's the way of nature. True, at first you may feel a bit timid and scared but I assure you that it is one of the most natural and beautiful acts performed by two members of the opposite sex."

Ranma sat looking at the water and thought for a moment. His body went rigidly still. "Wow…"

Genma glared at him, as his glasses reflecting in the sunlight like spotlights. "In less than a day you will getting intimate with the woman you've loved for over two years and all you have to say is 'wow'?!"

Ranma hit his father over the head angrily. "Are you _trying _to make me have a nervous breakdown?! You should have told me all this years ago! What's the big idea telling me two days before the wedding?! A guy needs time to prepare for something this monumental!"

Genma pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and took another puff from his pipe. "Ranma, remember 'Anything Goes Martial Arts' Tenant number fifteen: 'It is always better to know late information then never at all.'"

Ranma folded his arms in annoyance. "I didn't even _know _we had a list of tenants until a year ago! If you would actually write them down it might help!"

"Foolish boy! What a stupid question! How am I supposed to write down something I make up on the spur of the moment?!"

"You stupid old man!"

* * *

Akane stared wide eyed at her grinning sister in dumbfounded shock. "Is that _really_ how people like to do it?" She asked, trying to calm herself down. For some reason, her heart was beating heavily in her chest. She dismissed it as a simple case of nerves even has her own conscious pointed its finger and laughed at her from deep inside her brain.

"Hey, its info learned in the field, sis! I guarantee it." Her middle sister winked impishly.

"Nabiki! You're much too young to be doing that! You're still in high school!" Kasumi scolded.

"Who was it?" Akane asked as her curiosity rose. There was a side to Nabiki she never realized existed before. To think she had once thought Nabiki only cared about money! Maybe she was more three dimensional than people gave her credit for.

Nabiki chuckled. "Mmmmmm, let's just say that there's more to Kuno then just his money."

"Kuno!?" Akane's jaw hit the ground.

"Hey, he's not such a bad guy once you get him to shut up," Nabiki retorted, almost defensively. "All that poetry he spouts may drive me nuts… but he can be… sweet when he wants to. Of course we've kept all this secret, of course." She adopted a theatrical pose with one hand covering her face as if overcome by shame. "He couldn't bear to hurt his two beloveds with such a vile scandle."

Akane shook her head, smiling lightly. It was funny how things turned out in life. She guessed Nerima mysticism had a bit to do with that. Briefly, she wondered if her children's lives would someday be as weird as hers had been thus far. She hoped not. She'd seen enough chaos and wackiness to last three lifetimes.

Another thought found its way into her mind as a frown set in on her face. Her sisters, sensing that something was wrong, moved in closer, giving the youngest Tendo their utmost attention. "What if...I'm not good enough for him? I mean, it's not like I do it a lot or practice or anything..."

"Don't worry, Akane," Kasumi said reassuringly. "Ranma will be just as unprepared and nervous as you are. I think his father just finished telling him _his_ role for tomorrow. Look."

She pointed out of Akane's room as Ranma hilariously chased his father around the backyard for a beating. A crimson blush flashed across his face and Akane couldn't help but giggle. Clearly there was nothing to worry about. No matter how inexperienced either of them was, they would work things out. They always did.

Suddenly, a green energy blast shot downward, enveloping Ranma before he could even think to blink. Genma took this time to slip silently in the house, caring only for his own hide. From the other side of the stone wall, Akane could hear loud laughter as two large hands thrust through the wall.

Her blood went cold. "No..."

The two hands pushed in opposite directions, widening the hole and shattering the rock formation until it was large enough to pass through. A large form, seemingly too big for a normal human, squeezed through the ruined structure, grinning like a madman. An unfamiliar howl sounded across the afternoon sky, as the second figure, as yet unseen, awaited its turn to go through the makeshift entrance.

"Mint... Lime... Oh no… no!" Akane felt weak and she had to grip the balcony to keep from losing her balance.

Ranma climbed to his feet, shaking his head as he blinked away the red spots that flashed in front of his eyes. Preparing a sharp remark at his attacker the words froze in his throat as he looked up in stunned horror. The horror looked back down at him, grinning so wide it looked unnatural.

Ranma was horrified. "_Lime_!? What on earth!? What the hell did you do to yourself?!"

The behemoth was indeed Lime, but he hardly looked human anymore. Every inch of his body was covered in massive muscle and his eyes, which had once been gray, now held a pale glowing green tone. His teeth were clenched together as he laughed though the gut wrenching sound could hardly be classified as laughter. Strangest of all his features was his skin. It was covered in striped fur that seemed to ripple with each step he took.

"Why if isn't our good friend Ranma! Mint, don't be rude! Come give your greetings as well! You deserve it! You were the one who tracked them here by scent after all."

In a flash Mint was beside his friend, grinning like an infernal demon. His change has been less severe than in his comrade but it was a nightmare all the same. His face seemed narrower, like the wolf that was his patron. His eyes seemed more slanted and held a tint of red in them. His teeth looked razor sharp and slightly yellow from decay. He almost seemed to be panting with expectation. Opening his maw, he unleashed a terrible howl that shook the window panes.

"Mint and I are very glad to see you, my friend. Why don't you make this easy on yourself? Tell us where Mousse and Ryoga are?"

Ranma shook his head, turning away from them. This new version of them was a completely different one then the two strong yet naive boys he had met over a year ago. "Why?"

Lime smiled. "A means to an end. Nothing more."

"Why on Earth did you guys do thi-"

"I asked you a question!" Ranma's words were cut off as Lime charged forward, slamming his boulder sized fist into Ranma's stomach, hurling the stunned teen through the dojo wall with tremendous force. A large energy burst followed him in, pushing the winded boy out the other side and setting fire to the wedding hall that quickly spread to the entire building.

Staying on his feet, Ranma hunched over, staggering to remain standing against the burning pain of his body. He looked the two over again from the other side of the burning building with renewed awareness.

_Not good. These odds aren't in my favor. They're just too strong!_ Dropping into a low combat stance, Ranma balled his hands into fists and leapt into the fray. Mint howled again and jumped in to meet him. They struck at each other in mid-air, landing frenzied attacks and surprising each other with the sheer amount of ferocity they both produced.

Nabiki turned to Akane. "You better do something quick, or you won't have to worry about the wedding...or a husband for that matter."

With shaking hands, Akane reached for the phone.


	7. Chapter 7: Revenge Gambit

Chapter 7: Revenge Gambit

Ukyo poured a kettle of warm water over a transformed Ryoga, nullifying the effects of his curse until the next time his skin felt the cool embrace of water. Using the mist from the hot kettle as cover, he dove back into his clothes and sat down again in front of his stunned parents. His mother started to cry yet again. Mr. Hibiki merely sighed and handed her a clearly worn out hankie. The look he gave Mr. Konji suggested that her fit of tears occurred often.

"I got that little momento at Jusenkyo when Ranma accidentally knocked me in," Ryoga said matter-of-factly.

His father was speechless. One moment his son has been splashed with cold water and the next his form has shrunk into that of a pig, a cute piglet, but a pig none the less. He cleared his throat, trying to think of something appropriate to say. Everyone could sympathize with their shock, it was certainly the most bizarre situation they had ever been faced with. "Well son, I think... umm..."

The phone rang on the counter, breaking his train of thought. Ukyo hopped up to answer it, flashing Ryoga a smile. "Ucchan's! How may I help you?"

The group looked on as her face twisted to a look of horror passed over her. Abruptly, she slammed down the phone and raced for the door with spatula in hand. "Come on! Mint and Lime are here! They're attacking Ranma!"

* * *

Ranma flipped to the side as Lime's second strike hit the reinforced dojo wall, shattering it into splinters. His lumbering form seemed to contradict his ability to conduct fast movements and yet that was exactly what he was doing. This shocking realization threw Ranma off for just a moment. Seconds later he was once again back in touch with the game, calling on his elite Anything Goes battle prowess to take the fight to his enemies with near reckless abandon.

Ranma, for his part was too stunned to be angry for their violating attack on his private life. The two Chinese boys didn't even look human anymore. He wondered if their hatred was so great that it would cause them to make the ultimate sacrifice of their humanity. Not even Taro, with all his rage, had gone that far. The utter lack of reasoning and moral respect for their bodies made him sick to his stomach.

"Come and fight, Ranma. I've waited over a year for this glorious moment and it won't do to have you disappoint us. I can play with you until Ryoga hears your screams and comes running." Lime's smiled, gesturing tauntingly.

"This will be over long before then, you freak!"

Lime bellowed once then charged at Ranma like a mad bull. Ranma jumped up and brought his foot up and out, gracefully slamming it into Lime's cheekbone. The former Musk bodyguard was unfazed by the blow and it did little to slow him down. He stopped his forward momentum, pivoted, and brought his forehead crashing into Ranma's stomach, knocking the wind from the boy's lungs and throwing him into the ground.

Ranma rose again, slightly slower this time than before. Catching his breath, he changed the style of his tactics and slammed his foot into Lime's right knee cap, distracting the boy long enough to flip away and gain some room to maneuver. His heightened danger sense screaming in the back of his mind, and he jumped skyward as several razor sharp projectiles screamed by, narrowly avoiding his body. Mint materialized seconds later and jumped at him, teeth exposed in a laughing smile. Grabbing his shoulders, Ranma jumped up and flipped the former bodyguard in midair, hurling him into the stone wall with careful precision.

As Ranma started his decent, Lime's fist connected with his jaw sending pain shooting up through his cranium. The blow hurt so much it brought tears to his eyes. Landing, he rolled forward despite the pain and drove his fist into Lime's unprotected stomach. "Kashu Tenshine Amaguriken!"

Hundreds of rapid strikes lanced into Lime's stomach as he stood there, arms spread open. He did nothing to defend himself. In fact he almost seemed to welcome the attack, treating it as though it was an utterly futile gesture being performed by a small baby or insect.

Ranma pulled his hand away, holding his smarting knuckles to his chest. _It's like punching steel! What the hell…_

Lime chuckled. The movements made his shoulders shake like a mountain during an earthquake. He grabbed Ranma by the shirt and threw him skyward before jumping up to meet him, planting his knee into Ranma's back. Blood trickled from the pigtailed boy's mouth as his eyes widened in shock.

_So fast…._

Strong as Ranma was, he knew he couldn't last on his own. While not as fast, agile, or creative as Taro or Wraith, Lime's sheer strength was far greater than either. With his tank-like resistance to damage, he wouldn't need to land more than a few attacks to send Ranma to the grave.

A shape appeared as Ranma began his downward decent and Natsumi grabbed him in midair. She spring boarded off of Lime's face and carried her charge across the yard to safety. "Kurumi hold off the other one!"

"I'm on it!" Untying her ribbon, the younger sister engaged Mint as the boy hopped around the yard on all fours, evading her attacks.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't get here in time," Natsumi said with deep regret, setting Ranma on his feet. "We were out shopping and only just saw all the chaos."

"Don't worry about it," he winced, standing up straight. "Thanks for the save. Want to help me put this bastard down?"

Her smile was tight yet confident. "Count on it!"

The two attacked in tandem. Suffering a withering volley of punches and strikes from Kurumi's weaponized carpet beater, Lime fell back across the yard. Natsumi moved around behind him, preparing to unleash a blast of razor sharp wind when Mint appeared overhead and knocked her to the ground before moving away as Kurumi's ribbon whip gave chase.

Free from the threat of attack from behind, Lime redirected all of his efforts forward and delivered another crushing blow that staggered Ranma backwards. Towering over the downed boy with a grin that stretched from ear to ear, Lime held his hand open and called a sphere of power. The harmful energy crackled and sparked in his hand, begging to be released. "I thought this would have been more of a challenge. Your death will bring us little satisfaction. Don't worry though; Mousse and Ryoga will be joining you in hell soon enough."

Just to hear him speak such vile words almost made Ranma forget the man he was fighting was once the loyal, fierce, and clueless. It was clear that their bodily "enhancements" had warped their very minds and their reflection of themselves. Pointing out these devastating flaws would be pointless; the two were obviously completely pleased with their new powers, especially at present considering the beating they were handing him.

Ranma almost felt sorry for them none-the-less. Pulling all his energy into his hands with a flicker of concentration, he prepared to shoot himself out of the range of the blast Lime was forming in his hand.

"Fire Strike Beam!"

An unexpected blast of energy slammed into Lime's spine and threw him down hard on his face, cutting off any opportunity he might have had to sneak in another attack during Ranma's recovery phase. Akane moved quickly in the aftermath of her attack and rushed to her fiancé's side, helping him to his feet. Half relieved, half angry at her decision to make herself a target, he scanned every direction in case he needed to shield her from a furious counterattack. Mint was surely sulking from the shadows, awaiting his turn to pounce.

"Nice timing. You should get somewhere safe though."

She shook her head adamantly. "No way! I'm through with watching from the sidelines all the time. I'm going to be your wife and that means this sideline observing ends! From now on, we are going to fight every fight as a team."

Shaken from his temporary anger, Ranma found the strength to smile and enclosed her hand with his. She was a warrior too and he'd trained for moments like this. He didn't have the right to refuse her help, especially since it stemmed from her concern for his safety.

Mint jumped forward at last after evading Kurumi's distance attacks. Hunching over, he studied them with calculating eyes that tightened into slits. Saliva dripped from his teeth and formed a disgusting pool on the ground. Ranma found he was unable to read Mint's moves as the wolf-boy stalked across the grass. The scientific experiments had confused his mind and he no longer knew weather to act like a human or a wolf. He walked the fine line between mental stability and the belief that he was a predatory animal, devoid of a tactical mind. While this could be useful to Ranma in some cases, the lack of humanity made reading his chaotic mind impossible. He'd have to keep on his toes.

Lime lumbered to his feet with all the gracefulness of a bear, massaging his sore face. "Think you can take out the pretty little girls here, Mint?"

Mint howled in delight and dove at Akane and Natsumi with outstretched hands. Akane fell back onto the grass and brought her foot up into his hard stomach, flipping the wolf boy towards the stone wall again. He rebounded and landed several feet from her, throwing punch after rapid punch without missing a beat, sending her into a frenzied defense. The grace of his movements was beyond human and it was all Akane could do to just block as she back flipped out of range.

Natsumi took advantage of the distraction and appeared at his side before she reared she back and slammed her weapon into his face hard enough to drive him through the wall. As he lay stunned amidst shard of rock, she concentrated her power and began to swing in his direction, pelting him with razor wind that held his body to the ground.

Lime approached Ranma and the two traded blows that caused the house's very walls to shake. Blocking and counterattacking, they circled each other, shattering nearby stone and wood with the shockwaves produced by their attacks. Ranma was instantly thrown into the disadvantage category. Determined as he was, there were limits to what his body could do for him. Facing an opponent that was covered with muscle and fur that felt like solid steel when struck was too much even for him.

Taking an intense blow to his ribs, Ranma doubled over as the breath was snatched from his lungs again by tentacles of pain. He coughed up stomach fluid, trying to overcome the agonizing sensations that trickled through his body.

The animalistic grin never left Lime's face. There was no absolutely no mistake about the situation; he was enjoying this whole twisted affair. "And now we will conclude this pitiful engagement once and for all! I will finish what my former lord was never able to do, Ranma. You and your friends humiliated Mint and me! Now we will correct our mistakes and redeem our honor."

The dojo continued to burn as did parts of the house. Soun and Genma were trying to fan out the flames as Nadoka called the fire department and the police then went to take Happosai to safety.

Stealing a glance at the burning dojo and house, Akane felt her heart break but she quickly redoubled her resolve. Getting distracted in the middle of a battle would only put herself and her friends at risk.

Finally having managed to escape, Mint continued to occupy Akane, Natsumi, and Kurumi. Unable to handle the three of them in direct combat all at once, he baited them to attack him, focusing his strategy on avoiding while Lime finished his battle and could lend a hand.

"You could have avoided this fate if you'd only told us what we had wanted to know." Lime voice carried at little more than a whisper as his fist clenched tightly. He raised his elbow high then brought it down with rapid force, aiming to crack Ranma's skull. It was happening impossibly fast, far too fast for him to properly counter. His eyes clenched shut involuntarily.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Lime's elbow mere inches from the top of his head, being held firmly by Ryoga's outstretched hand. Seeing his true opponent whom he hated more than anyone else, Lime howled and casually kicked Ranma in the side of his head, nearly striking his temple. Ranma fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes and did not stir.

"Ryoga..." Lime's grin increased as he clenched his hands into tight fists again. His tongue licked the corners of his mouth as if he were savoring the juices of an exotic food. "You decided to show up after all. At last!"

"Play time is over Lime! It's time you went home for good." Ryoga threw a glance to make sure Ranma was ok then dropped into an aggressive stance.

Lime charged forward, fist outstretched, aiming directly at his hated foe's head. A blow of that magnitude would crack the Lost Boy's skull open like a melon as it almost had done to Ranma's moments before. But Ryoga showed no fear and casually caught Lime's fist a foot away from his nose. Lime for his part, was amazed, and found Ryoga's fist to be like a brick wall. No matter how hard he pushed, the boy wouldn't budge. He simply couldn't connect.

"It...isn't... possible..."

Ryoga brought his foot up into Lime's jaw, kicking him backwards across the yard. He recovered quickly however and moved in close to exchange rapid boxer-like punches, absorbing counter blows as easily as he had with Ranma. The two boys parried and attacked until their arms and legs were blurs of motion.

The Hibiki's and Mr. Kuonji had rushed to the scene with their children now found themselves being ushered away by Nabiki and Kasumi as the all-out battle waged across the expanse of the yard.

"Akane are you alright?!" Ukyo rushed onto the scene and brought her spatula up at the last second, deflecting several of Mint's deadly projectiles.

"Perfect timing, Ukyo!"

Ukyo winked. "You know how I love dramatic entrances!"

Mint jumped at her with arms outstretched, saliva dripping from his mouth. Now that it was four on one odds, he had to take out some of the competition before he was overwhelmed. He howled, taunting her to strike at him. Ukyo brought her fist up to deliver an uppercut but with a flash, Mint disappeared as Ukyo's hand sailed skyward, connecting only with air.

"He's gone! Did he disappear?"

"No, he's just too fast. We would have sensed the energy increase if he had teleported," Akane explained, rushing beside her friend.

A blur appeared behind them and they were both struck in the small of the back with terrific force. The blow knocked the two girls to the ground, scraping their skin as they connected. Mint dove at them again but missed as the girls rolled to either side and flipped back to their feet. He crouched low to the ground again, bringing his teeth together as he hissed. With a rapid leap, he charged again, disappearing right in front of Ukyo and reappeared at Akane's side. Her foot found only air as he moved again, appearing behind them again. By the time they turned around he was gone. He moved in a circle, overlapping them. His movements were too fast for them to follow thereby making it impossible to counterattack.

He's toying with us! Ukyo gritted her teeth in frustration and tightened her grip on her spatula. A blur surrounded her suddenly like a dark cloud and a multitude of blows slammed into her body, dropping the startled girl instantly.

"Ukyo!"

"Kurumi! Help me cover them!" Natsumi said, rushing forward. The younger sister finally managed to wrap the ribbon around Mint's legs. She concentrated her energy into it, searing his flesh as the ribbon burned crimson. As Mint struggled to get free, Kurumi was on him again, landing strike after strike, forcing him backwards and erasing whatever advantage he'd gained.

His claws narrowly missed striking her throat and he used the split second to shred the ribbon attached to his legs before rushing away back towards his original target.

Akane started to rush to her fallen comrade when a blow to her chin knocked her to the side. Blood flew from the cut skin as she stumbled off balance. Mint was on her instantly, pinning her down against the ground. He hissed again, leaving a trail of drool disgustingly down onto her cheek. He reached to his side and pulled out his last knife aiming for her vulnerable stomach. He chuckled manically, twirling the knife in between his fingers.

Akane turned her head and closed her eyes, whimpering softly. "Ranma..."

A column of yellow energy slammed into Mint's head and shoulders, throwing him into the grass. He skidded feet away, kicking up dirt and rocks as his claws fought to gain traction. Akane flipped to her feet and turned to see Ranma walking towards her with a yellow ball of energy flickering in his open hand. He was seething with raw, uncontrollable rage. His eyes burned with a sea of hatred that magnified with sheer intensity. "No one hurts my fiancée'! Not you, not anyone else! Do you understand me, you sick freak?!"

Mint recovered instantly, charged at Ranma with clawed hands outstretched. Ranma let him get within six paces before letting him have his collected energy in the face, throwing the yelping boy back yet again. He screamed, clutching his burning face as he slowly rose again, shifting wildly as the pain consumed him. His yelping mouth foamed over as if he had rabies and he lowered his head, overcoming the pain in mere seconds. Smiling despite the painful damage, he resumed a clockwise pace around Ranma, just outside of attack range.

No way! He just took a full Moko Takabisha at point blank range in the face and he's still moving! What does it take to put him down?!

"Anything Goes Final Attack: Hiryu Carimbou!" Kurumi's ultimate ki attack scored a direct shot on Mint and threw him back into the burning remains of the dojo.

"Nice shot," he called as Natsumi and Kurumi gave chase, determined to put the wolf down for good.

Ranma knew he was tiring, but on the positive side, he realized it was not as quickly a rate as he should have been. He really was getting stronger thanks to his new training. What's more, despite how fast and uncanny Mint was, Ranma's eyes had gotten fast enough to track his opponents movement with ease. This fact went unnoticed by the single-tracked mind of his opponent who couldn't fathom why Ranma was having better luck against his tricks then the four girls had had.

Ranma fired another energy blast as Mint dove skyward, leaping over the sisters. The attack missed this time, but succeeded in taking out Akane's window. Shattered glass rained down as her curtains caught fire.

Mint shifted again and kicked Ranma against the wall of the house. Grabbing a knife from the ground, he rose from a roll and threw the sharp blade, pinning the sleeve of Ranma's shirt into the wall.

Momentarily distracted, Ranma let his guard down as he reached over to try and pull it out. That was all the distraction Mint needed. He pounced on Ranma's struggling form, slashing across his chest with his claws, drawing a small geyser of blood in his wake. The two entered into close range combat, Ranma doing the best he could to defend himself with only one arm free. Even wounded he quickly proved to be a match for the speed creature even with only one hand available to defend himself.

"Keep your hands to yourself!"

A dozen chains slinked out from the top of the house and encircled Mint's body, pinning his hands down. Mousse came next, sailing to the ground with the grace of a bird. Seeing his one true target, Mint gathered enough strength to tear through the chains and strike at Mousse with all the martial arts skill and speed he possessed. Mousse and Mint circled around the yard with grace, both scoring numerous hits on the other as they seemed to fly.

"What have you done to yourself, Mint?!" Disgusted, Mousse just shook his head. "No matter. Even in this form you're still not strong enough to beat me. It would be best for you to accept that fact and go home. Stay and you will be destroyed! As an Amazon facing off against an old enemy, I will defeat you!" Mousse stood as a mountain of confidence. Mint set his teeth back and snarled a challenge.

Ranma grinned slightly. "Good to have you here, Mousse. It almost seems like history is repeatin' itself again doesn't it?"

Mousse nodded. " It's too late for these two though."

"Mint!" Lime looked over at his friend in concern. This proved to be a mistake. A second later he was flying backwards again as Shampoo leapt over the wall and into the fray, propelling the unprepared science experiment backwards with a mace to the ribs. Recovering, he staved off a series of crushing blows and snarled at as the numerical odds stacked against them.

"It is almost like you were expecting us…" Lime's face went from contemplative to angry as he rose to face Shampoo and Ryoga. "Ah, but of course you were. Herb warned you didn't he? You knew we were coming well in advance."

"You got that right," Ryoga confirmed.

"No matter," Lime remarked casually, renewing his efforts. "You will all die regardless."

Akane and Ukyo advanced from one side, Kurumi and Natsumi from the other. Facing five opponents, Mint whimpered and backed off. Mousse was the closest and he blocked the fallen Musk warrior's path. "Oh no. Did you not hear me? You aren't getting away."

Mint attacked only to have Mousse pivot on one foot and swing the other around into the back of his neck. Mint spun end over end, whimpering in pain. Planting his feet to stop his downward spin, he set his enlarged ears back and prepared to lunge again. Mousse swung out with his fist, hitting Mint in the jaw and knocking out several teeth with a lucky shot. This time the wolf boy went down, and when he rose again, it was slowly and painfully, like a beaten dog. His random howls rose in pitch and intensity.

"Damn it! Come out!" Ranma snarled, finally freeing himself by tearing off the sleeve of his shirt.

Mousse watched on in interest, already knowing that a victor had been declared in this match. With Mint weakened, Mousse concluded that the warrior didn't have a chance in hell of winning this fight. That didn't stop from trying, and he shifted around the yard, trying to stall for time.

On the other end of the yard, Lime picked himself off the ground, shaking his head groggily as Ryoga dropped into a lower stance, bursting with confidence. Lashing out Lime was knocked backwards again and again as each punishing blow sapped more and more of his heightened endurance.

"Mint," Lime roared, batting Ryoga off to the side with a lucky snap kick to the chest. "Unleash all of your strength! We have no reason to hold back!"

Mint paused and looked at him, whining.

Lime grinned fatalistically. "I know we could die going all out. Our bodies might not be able to handle the strain. It's a risk we'll have to take for our revenge. This is the moment we continued to live for, isn't it? After this there is nothing else so don't hold back!"

Conceding the point, Mint acknowledged the orders with a woof and started to concentrate. Duel waves of power radiated from the two as Team Ranma backed up as one. Mint roared toward the smoke-filled sky as the remnants of the dojo burned. His body began to change again. The fur on his body grew longer as his limbs extended and taunt muscle wrapped tighter around bone as his talons stabbed into the ground.

Lime added his own howl of rage as fur expanded across his body to just under his eyes. From his flexed fingertips grew short, sharp claws as his muscle mass increased until he was easily double his former size.

His eyes blazed green. "Now Ryoga," he wheezed, adjusting to the changes to his physical form, "we will finish this. All of you are going to die. Right here, right now!"

The second offensive began and the yard shook as the two foreigners plowed into Ranma and his friends. Brushing off punches, Lime engaged Ryoga, Ranma, Mousse, and Shampoo while Mint dealt with Akane, Ukyo, Natsumi, and Kurumi. Bodies danced around the yard and through the air, looking for the best angle to attack as Mint and Lime endured, giving out as much damage as they received with their augmented bodies of speed and strength.

Lime's boulder-sized fists struck Ranma and Ryoga. The Lost Boy was sent sprawling to the ground and Ranma landed on his back in the pond. The fish thrashed in alarm as she pulled herself up, rubbing the back of her head, taking in the battle from a distance for the first time since it had been.

It was a hard, desperate fight, Ranma concluded. However, a smile touched her lips a moment after. _It may be tough, but this is far easier than it should be._

Perhaps it was the past fights they had all endured. Or maybe it was thanks to all the training they'd been doing lately. Either way, not one of her friends was seriously wounded. It had taken Mint and Lime going all out at the cost of ever regaining their humanity just to break even. This gave Ranma renewed hope for victory. Fueled with confidence, she leapt back into the fray.

As fast as he'd become, Mint was kept off guard by Kurumi and Natsumi. He unleashed shards of energy in the shape of blades but the girls nimbly avoided the barrage and struck back when they could. Kurumi landed a glancing blow against his jaw with her foot, snapping off one of his front teeth as he back peddled in surprise.

Ukyo moved a short ways off, concentrating her energy. "Batter Dragon!"

She hurled a giant glob of batter, encasing Mint in midair. Thrashing, he struggled to free himself as Ukyo dropped her weapon and tapped into the strength of nature around her, borrowing power from her friends, the grass, trees, and even the fish in the pond. Having trained since Wraith's castle to collect energy as fast as she could, the process only took about twenty seconds.

Mint became aware of what she was about to do and finally broke free from the hardened batter. Still, he realized with a yelp of fear as he began to fall back towards the ground that it was too late.

"Ballistic Lightning Flash!" Ukyo waved her hand in a fluid, dance-like motion, guiding the storm of green bolts into a gentle skyward rise. As Mint watched, Ukyo turned her open palm towards the ground and dropped it sharply. Her attack shifted into an upside down U, and slammed down onto him from above. The force of the attack crushed him into the ground. The foundation cracked as he howled louder than before, thrashing in torment as energy played out across his damaged body.

"I bet… he felt… that one." Ukyo leaned forward, gasping to catch her breath.

"Good work Ukyo!" Akane called out. "Natsumi, lets him before he can get away. Fire Strike Beam!"

Natsumi complied and raised her arms up to the air, summoning another storm of energy before pointing her palms down toward the downed fighter. "Hiryu Carimbou!"

Their combined attacks struck the already wounded wolf creature and he cried out in pain before disappearing as the power of their ki attacks washed out across his body. When the currents of energy were finally cut off nothing remained but burnt grass and rock.

"You don't think we killed him do you?" Akane asked, more than a little scared that they'd overdone it. Looking around she tried to find some kind of sign of Mint.

Standing on the sidelines, the Hibiki's, Mr. Kounji, Nadoka, and Happosai all saw what had happened, having been afforded the sideline view. They watched as Mint appeared over the girls with silent grace. His fur smoldered and burned, but this only fueled his speed with rage. Somehow his speed had aided him in avoiding the brunt of their attacks, saving his life and leaving him with the golden opportunity to attack without warning. With eyes narrowed he prepared to leap down and cleave onto Ukyo and Kurumi's skulls.

They all began to yell for the girls to take cover. It was the only thing they could do besides watch as the impossibly fast wolf warrior moved for the killing blow. Closing his eyes in resignation, Happosai leapt down from Nadoka's arms and charged forward, expanding his ki until he seemed to grow to giant proportions.

"No you dont!" Happosai swatted the wolf into the roof of the Tendo house before immediately shrinking down to his normal size again to conserve his waning strength. Mint sailed across the roof, kicking off shingles before falling off the other side and down the two story drop into the ground.

Panting, Happosai held onto his concentration and fired his own ki attack from his body, arching it over the house and slamming into Mint before he could get up from the ground.

Undaunted, Mint shifted when the attack cut off abruptly, moving at a blinding pace from around the house and behind Akane. Rearing back, he fired his clawed hands forward.

Time slowed to a crawl. Akane began to turn as she realized what was coming. The claws descended, aiming for her heart. Her eyes widened with fear. No!

Suddenly Happosai was there and the claws sank into his body rather than Akane's back. With one small hand he pushed Akane out of the way and produced a Happo Fire Burst with the other.

He held it up, grinning despite the pain as Mint's eyes reflected raw terror. "Got you."

The explosion was three times the normal size and it left a smoking crater in the center of the yard that rattled the windows on houses for blocks in either direction. Propelled by the explosion, Happosai's body was sent flying to the ground.

Akane ran forward to the unmoving old man. "Grandfather Happosai!"

Her cries reached Soun and Genma who abandoned their attempts to put out the fires. Risking life and limb they rushed forward to secure Happosai and carry him to safety. Everyone seemed to pause in shock save Lime who laughed and too the opportunity to close in on Ryoga.

"One down!" Lime taunted. He struck Ryoga's cheek, shattering the ground at their feet. Ryoga took the blow as blood and spit flew from his mouth. Keep up with the offensive, Lime punished his hated foe, aiming for the ribcage. Ryoga endured a few rounds of blows before his smaller hand caught Lime's in midair. He looked up with a scowl of rage and counterattacked, grabbing Lime by the hair and repeatedly slamming his fist into the giant's face.

Mint skidded backwards across the ground as the blast ripped into his flesh, destroying half of his face from cheek to ear and blinding one eye. Wounded though he was, he lowered himself to the ground and attacked with all the ferocity of a cornered animal, ready to kill any who came near.

In the other half of the yard, Ryoga and Lime had taken to exchanging terrible blows with Ranma and Mousse in support. The former Musk warrior's beaten form hunched over with exhaustion. Fueled by Happosai's noble sacrifice, every punch Ryoga now delivered forced Lime to give ground. For all his size and power he was unable to do anything but block. The Lost Boy's attacks pushed him back across the yard. Reaching the already punished stone wall, Lime rested his back against it, trying desperately to regain some of his lost momentum. Unfortunately for him, this was just what Ryoga had been waiting for him to do. Whipping off several bandannas, he pinned Lime's arms and legs to the wall with a snap of his wrists.

"Damn you!" Lime struggled vainly as the bonds bit into his flesh, the undaunted tiger warrior tried to tear himself free. Suddenly, he stopped struggling and grinned as if remembering something vastly important that had slipped his mind. He raised his head and fired a black and white beam of energy from his torso, catching Ryoga's body and throwing him to the ground as scorched heat cooked the skin on his chest. Lime increased the ferocity as the wall of energy started to crush the startled boy into the dirt with crippling force.

"I don't need my hands to channel energy! Have another taste!"

Blinking away stars, Ryoga cried out with vengeance as he stood up against the wave, blocking the dark energy with his hands as it pushed against him. He set his legs firmly to resist the force of Lime's attack and took up his all too familiar stance, the one that called on all his negative emotions. Crying out, he summoned the most depressing memory he could find and pushed himself into, enduring the sadness and pain he needed until he forgot he was forcing the memory on himself. After completing this, the motions became pure instinct. With a motion with his hands, a familiar beam of blue energy flew from his hands, slowly pushing the incoming energy away from himself. The two beams interlocked savagely as each combatant struggled to overcome the other.

Mousse and Shampoo joined him, lending their ki to his attack and further shielding him from harm.

Ranma, meanwhile, had gone to aid her fiancée and was dodging a variety of thrust attacks from the now berserk Mint. Akane and Ukyo appeared at Mint's side and grabbed hold of his arms and dug their feet into the ground, holding on with all their might. Natsumi and Kurumi rushed over and pinned his legs. The enraged wolf-boy bucked against their lock holds but there was nothing he could do. His howls rose in intensity until they turned into pathetic yelps of helplessness.

"Hit him, Ranma!" Akane snarled locking her arms. Mint pulled forward, trying to break free, screaming with rage. He shook his head back and used a sudden burst of energy to break free only to have Ranma rush forward and delivering a punishing volley of punches and kicks, bruising Mint's face and knocking him senseless.

"Now, Ranma! Go help Ryoga! We won't get another chance at this!" Natsumi motioned toward where Ryoga and the two Amazon's were weathering Lime's attack.

She needed no further encouragement. Breaking into a run, the girl moved to stand next to Ryoga. Concentrating all her energy, she fired a Moko Takabisha, helping to force Lime's attack back towards his immobilized body.

Natsumi used her wind attack to hurl the awestruck wolf-boy into Lime, temporarily disrupting his flow of energy. Unhindered, Ryoga's and Ranma's final attacks struck the two former Musk warriors dead on. The blast tore apart the neighborhood landscape and ripped open the road road as the reinforced beam departed from the ground and threw them high into the midmorning sky, scorching their bodies in near unbearable pain. The blast shot off like a rocket, carrying them far from the city limits.

"Damn you Ranmaaaaaaaa!" Lime cried out as he and Mint disappeared over the horizon, riding the beam of power against his will.

As quickly as it had begun, the battle ended. What had taken months to plan burned to ash along with the dojo and part of the house. Even the defeated screams of pain and rage from Lime's lips seemed to offer little comfort to those affected by the chaos the invaders from China had created.


	8. Chapter 8: Aftermath of Loss and Fire

Chapter 8: Aftermath of Loss and Fire.

The battle ended abruptly but there was no time to celebrate. Ranma turned and ran to Soun's side as Akane quickly followed. "Old man! Hang in there!"

The sight that greeted her eyes was not one of hope. Even as Kasumi and Nadoka administered first aid it was clear Happosai had already lost too much blood from the large puncture marks across his body. He lay wrapped in bandages and blood as the last of his strength crumbled away.

Kneeling down with grief, Ranma joined his family as Happosai gasped for breath, turning to look at his successor with a brave smile.

"Had to… do something," he rasped. "Couldn't let you have all the glory."

"Old fool," Ranma muttered, distinctly aware of the taste of her own tears as they trailed down her cheek. "Thank you so much," she finished with a sob.

Happosai's mouth moved for a minute before he could summon the strength to utter words. "Please…. Remember me kindly, would you?"

"We will honor you as the master of our art for as long as we live," Soun said as all the warriors, Natsumi and Kurumi especially, nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Happosai's small hand touched Ranma's leg. "You are a… fine successor m'boy. Be the man you want to be and make our… school even stronger." He gave a rattling cough but continued to smile. "Don't worry… about this foolish old man. It's high time I… retired anyways."

Unable to summon the words to reply, Ranma just continued to cry along with the rest of her family. She nodded, biting her lip. She thought about all the fights she and Happosai had gotten into since he'd arrived. More than anything she wanted the old lecher back. For so long she'd wanted him gone and now as he lay dying all she could think of wishing he could be healed and restored to health.

The fire continued to blaze in the background as the police and fire department showed up at last. The city's fire department brought the fire truck's hoses to bear on the scene in order to extinguish the fire raging in the dojo. The police weren't far behind and they immediately set about setting up a blockade around the house to keep the onlookers from getting too close.

A medical team rushed forward but Genma waved them off. The pair fell silent and looked down, knowing well the sound of a death rattle as Happosai closed his eyes for the last time. One of them offered up a soft prayer for the stranger's soul, bowing his head in respect.

"Soun, Genma," Happosai said as the two men leaned in close to hear his last words and wishes. "I leave you two as the head of our school… until Ranma's 18th birthday. We've had our differences, but there is no one else I would… rather trust."

"We will not fail you!" Genma vowed. "We promise."

"Then I am content," Happosai said closing his eyes for the last time. "I will live on through our school…"

So it was that the founder of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts took one last long breath and then fell silent forever more with a slight smile on his face, as if laughing at death as it claimed him.

In the background the fire fighters put out the moderate blaze, sending smoke rising high to accompany Happosai's spirit to the afterlife.

"At least he died as he would have wanted. In battle," Soun sobbed and clasped Genma's shoulder.

There was room for nothing but tears and grieving as the Saotome and Tendo families gathered around their fallen master while Ryoga, Shampoo, and the others stood a respectful distance away offering prayers and thanks to his departed spirit.

* * *

Ranma staggered over to Akane, wincing in pain as blood trickled from his chest and stomach. He'd passed up medical treatment until everyone else had been attended to. "You ok, Akane?"  
Akane did not move from her sitting position though her expression showed that his words had snapped her out of whatever trance she'd been in while looking at the decimated dojo and house with a heartbreaking look that transcended physical pain. "Grandfather Happosai is gone. He died protecting me. I…" she suddenly stopped when tears threatened to spill down her cheeks anew. She took a deep, stabilizing breath. "Our wedding… everything is gone."

She looked up at him and the expression of hurt was so strong he couldn't bear to maintain her gaze. "Ranma… what do we do now?"

"We go on," he replied. "We can't let this stop us from healing and living on."

Tears burst into her eyes, falling onto the soft ground to mix with the soft grass. "I wanted to be your bride Ranma! I wanted to marry you but now the dojo's destroyed, the house is trashed and we're all too wounded and tired to think about anything but first aid. No, I'm not ok! They managed to hurt me far more than any physical attack ever could! And poor Happosai…."  
Ranma slowly and gingerly dropped to his knees, pressing her head to his shoulder. "I was going to suggest we continue with the plans regardless, but I know we both don't want to remember our wedding day like this."

"There's no way now," she whispered, clinging to him. "No, not like this."

"We just need time," he soothed. "Time heals all wounds y'know?" He put two fingers under her chin and made her look up at him. "We will be married Akane, I... I do want to marry you. We'll just set up a new date is all. We've done it once before, we can do it again."  
Akane turned to look at Ukyo as she cried on Ryoga's shoulder. Clearly, this ordeal was affecting her in much the same way. The Tendo's, Hibiki's, and Mr. Konji attended to their own children, offering what little aid and moral support they could. It was of little help. All their hearts had been broken and it would take time to properly heal.

"Just hold me Ranma."

It was a simple request and he did so, watching out of the corner of his eye as Happosai's body was carried off to the city morgue. He sighed and buried his face in her hair, pleading for the never ending nightmare to leave him in peace.

"Why do things like this keep happening to us Ryoga?" she whispered.

Tears found their way into Ryoga's eyes as well. He wished an answer would present itself because he had absolutely no way of answering her legitimate question. All he could do was hold onto her tightly and be thankful that she hadn't been seriously hurt in the battle

_I will never forgive them!_

His hand flexed into a tight fist and he found himself fervently wishing that Mint and Lime would come back…

* * *

Lime shook his head, slowly rising to his feet. He turned to Mint who was busy removing his face from the trunk of a large tree. The giant warrior clenched his fist tightly, snarling at no one in particular as he pondered the only question his mind would allow to float around his head. _How, after all we've had suffered, after all the experiments, how did Ranma and his friends still come out on top? It just doesn't make sense! Where had that power come from?_  
He looked out at the city before him, sighing softly. That final blast of power must not have been quite as powerful as it felt, he mused. They had just barely cleared the city's outer limits.

"We may still be in business," Lime chuckled deep in his throat. "Perhaps our luck wasn't all bad after all."

Mint barked in question, turning his one good eye to gaze up at his partner.

"It isn't over Mint. If we hurry we can make it back to the dojo by late afternoon and resume the attack. They haven't beaten us yet, this is the beginning! Next time we'll be victorious! The last thing they'd expect is for us to come back!"

Mint woofed with pleasure at this development and spittle flung from his jaws. He wanted revenge for his eye and face and nothing short of a house full of corpses would suffice for payment.  
"There will be no next time."  
The two whirled around to see Emperor Herb walk into the clearing, black cape flapping wildly as if it he were the messenger of death. His normally bright eyes tightened with animosity. Bolts of energy zipped up and down his balled right fist and he stared at his former bodyguards as if they had become the scum of the earth.  
Lime's blood went cold. _Impossible! How did he track us so quickly?!_

Herb brazenly walked towards the two, gesturing around him. "An odd place for a reunion, no?"

"Herb...what are you doing here?" Lime snarled in his native tongue. "Don't try to stop us from exacting revenge. We no longer serve you!"  
Herb's eyes flashed dangerously "Impudent fool! You were both born in the Musk Dynasty. As such you still have to follow the rules of my land whether you are present or not. Both of you went behind my back and joined with the Communists. That is treason of the highest degree."

Lime prepared for battle. "You won't take us without a fight!"

Herb snorted and pointed at him. "Such grotesque bodies and you still failed to defeat Ranma and his friends. If you failed to defeat them, what makes you think you have a chance in hell against me?"

Herb sighed once and then the full force of his anger manifested itself. As his tone rose with fury energy started to roll off of his body in waves. "Do you two know how much you two have shamed me?! You destroyed Ranma Saotome's wedding and killed the master of his martial arts style. Your offenses are so grievous that I had to turn away from the dojo without them seeing to come handle the two of you first. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to look him in the eye! You both must pay for the suffering you caused! You've smeared my good name and the name of our dynasty!"

"To hell with your laws and the Musk Dynasty! You could never understand!" Lime snarled as he threw a rock shattering punch with all the speed he could muster. His attack flew true but the young emperor sidestepped the attack with graceful ease, crossing his arms crossed over his chest.  
"Too slow, Lime. No matter what you've done to yourselves, neither of you will ever surpass me, Ranma, or his friends. All of your efforts were for nothing."  
Mint rushed to assist his friend and dropped in low to attack his former master. Flipping backwards, Herb drove the heels of his boots into Mint's ribs, knocking the boy senseless and hurling his body into the ground. Lime pushed his fist outward, sending a torrent of orange power flowing from his hand. Herb raised his hand outward and diverted the energy to either side of his body, putting himself out of danger. He looked almost casual, as if his attack and defensive capabilities were of no consequence.  
Grabbing Mint's leg, Herb threw the boy into Lime much the same as Ranma had done earlier then dove in close for a rib shattering attack on Lime's torso. The boy fell beside Mint on the ground, gurgling in in pain.

"I didn't want it to be this way." Herb stood over them, preparing a killing blow.

Mint shook his head as blood and spittle flaked from his open maw. He looked up, totally helpless and whimpering like a half starved dog as his energy sapped body refused to move.  
Herb stood over them as his fist glowed with power. -You two have caused me a lot of pain, more so now then you now feel. You were truly the closest things I had to friends. We were almost brothers! But you had to crush that bond with your insane hatred over a fight one and a half years old. Fools! Every moment you live, you bring further disgrace to my empire."

Pointing his palm down toward's Mint, Herb unleashed a ki blast that vaporized the defeated boy and charred the grass underfoot. A final agonized howl trailed through the air and a moment later a breeze caught the ashes that had once been Mint and carried them off throughout the forest.

Lime opened one eye and weakly grabbed at Herb's foot. "Mint! No…."  
Herb kicked his hand off. "Oh I won't kill you yet. We're going to have a conversation first. You will tell me everything that I want to know.

"I'm not going to tell you anything!" Lime snapped defiantly. "You are going to kill me anyways. So why should I cooperate?"

Herb nodded. "Oh yes, you are going to die. It is the only way to make amends for everything you've done. However how fast or slow you die depends on how well you cooperate. For example…"

A lance of energy stabbed down from Herb's finger and impaled Lime in the left side, right through his kidney. The boy howled in pain and Herb cut off the attack a moment later.

"You two would never have come up with the idea to betray me on your own. All your lives you two trained to serve as my guards. What I want to know is who convinced you to go rouge?"

Lime grit his teeth and did not answer. Herb clicked his teeth in annoyance and kicked his former guard hard in the stomach, forcing him into the air and catching him by the shirt in midair. Putting his finger against Lime's stomach, he shot out the sharp beam of energy again and cut deep into the muscle and organs.

"Arghh!" Bile and blood spewed from his mouth. This time Herb did not cut the attack off and started to slowly push the energy deeper into Lime's body.

"I'll ask again. Who is the traitor in my empire that convinced you two to turn traitor?"

He gave Lime incentive to talk by running the energy blade clear through to the other side before picking him up off the ground. "As I told you, we can do this the easy way or the painful way. It makes little difference to me."

Staring into Herb's powerful eyes, Lime had no doubt whatsoever that he was speaking the truth. The strength and power he displayed made it hard to believe that he'd been defeated less than a year ago by the Shadow Warrior. Perhaps, Lime mused as he tried to separate his mind from the pain, it was that battle that had awakened Herb's true potential.

"Alright! I'll tell you everything!" Lime said as the sharp pain grew so strong that the idea of a relatively painless and quick death was starting to look very attractive indeed.

Herb released his captive and watched dispassionately as Lime collapsed to the ground, clutching at his stomach and writhing in agony. Herb folded his arms and watched, giving the doomed warrior a chance to compose himself.

Lime's brain worked overtime as he recalled the past, trying to remember who had first approached them. He remembered the experiments and the welcoming hand of the Communist military and science corps, but try as he might, he couldn't recall who or what put the idea into his mind.

Herb was about to insert a new hole into Lime's body when suddenly the tiger-boy jerked. His eyes shot open and he looked up at Herb as all the fight fled from his body.

If Herb had been more observant he might have noticed that Lime's shadow writhed and flailed, and not in sync with his body.

"Amazons," Lime said in an unusually drawn out tone. "An Amazon agent that was working in the castle came to us and offered to help."

Herb cocked one white eyebrow. "The Amazons? I thought it was the Communists you went to for aid?"

Lime nodded as his eyes dimmed to near vacancy. "The Amazon's put us in touch with the Communists. They are building a partnership."

"To what end? Speak quickly!"

"For war," Lime moaned, thrashing on the ground like a marionette. "They brainwashed us. I only now just remembered due to…" he looked down at the hole in his gut from which blood trickled freely from.

Herb said nothing for a moment as he ran the confession through his mind. There was some validity to it, he decided. If the Amazon's had learned of the attack he'd been planning before the Shadow Warrior's attack, then it was clearly possible that they'd brainwashed and offered Mint and Lime up as guinea pigs to the Communist government in order to gain favor and support in order to land the first blow. Mint and Lime might very well have just been a distraction.

There was another very unpleasant bit of knowledge gained from the interrogation. If what Lime said was true then he and Mint had no willingly defected at all. That would make them mere pawns in a sadistic game. This line of thought made Herb feel sick to his stomach and guilty all at the same time. Neither of these sensations was welcomed.

"Who was the agent who brainwashed you two?"

Through his agonized moans, Lime gave a name. Herb wasn't familiar with the name which probably meant it was one of the Amazon defectors who'd arrived in the capitol some months before. While he wasn't entirely sold on the story it was enough for a solid investigation. If Lime was right then the offensive that had been put off would need to be reorganized with all possible speed.

Returning to himself, Herb looked down at the mortally wounded man and realized that regardless of whether he'd acted of his own volition or had been brainwashed, the only act of mercy that could yet be performed was a quick and painless death.

"Lime, I will now send you to the hereafter as a gesture of mercy. I shall try to remember the good times we had in our years of friendship. Farewell!"  
Two strong beam of black energy consumed the man, incinerating his screaming body almost instantly. With his ghastly work completed, Herb turned around and walked back the way he came, back into the concealing forest and the solitude it offered. The morning wind blew away his hot tears as his form faded into the trees.  
Agonized sobs followed his departure, but these sounds faded too, in time. Mint and Lime had already faded into nothing more than that of a bitter memory, one that would hopefully die in time.

Herb began his trek to the Tendo Dojo and the last bit of unfinished business.


	9. Chapter 9: Making Amends

Chapter 9: Making Amends

The night following the battle was just as disheartening as the day had been. It was clear at a glance just how much the house had suffered from the attack. Soun had taken ill and had gone to bed and Nibiki had taken it upon herself to look over the damage. The power was out so she, Kasumi, and Nadoka inspected the house with flashlights.

"Perhaps we should have taken the police officer's advice and gone to a hotel tonight," Nadoka said as they started their walkthrough of the house.

"The men wouldn't hear of it," Nabiki sighed. "Leaving the field of battle after a victory is unthinkable… or something like that."

"Now, now," Kasumi gently chastised. "It has been a terrible night for everyone. After something so terrible a familiar setting is more comforting right?"

Natsumi and Kurumi were performing the outside inspect. The damage the dojo had been absolute. The heart of the household was gone leaving nothing but burnt lumber and wreckage. The yard and outer wall had gaping holes throughout, as if it had suffered an artillery bombardment. The pond had survived intact as had the plumb trees so there was at least a small ray of light. Repairing the pond would have been a painstakingly delicate operation.

Nabiki opened the door to Akane's room and frowned when she shined the light inside. "Somehow I don't think our insurance is going to cover martial arts brawls and ki damage ladies."

Akane's room had taken the brunt of the damage inside the house. Her window and part of her wall were gone. She wouldn't be using the room until the structural integrity was verified at the very least.

"What about all those other times we've had fights around the house?" Kasumi reminded her.

Nabiki turned around in the dark hallway to face the other two women. "Insurance didn't cover that either." She put her hand to her chest. "I gave father the money to repair it."

Kasumi couldn't contain her surprise. "You did?!"

She smiled with faint amusement. "I keep some of the money I get off Kuno and other deals but I also put a lot into the upkeep of our home. I'm not entirely heartless you know."

Kasumi put her hand on her sister's shoulder and shared her smile then the two got back to work. Despite some structural cracks and a few missing windows, the rest of the house seemed to be ok. Since it was summer, the last thing they needed to worry about being cold.

A knock came from the front door and Kasumi went to answer. When she saw who was calling on her family, her jaw almost dropped. "Oh! Herb! I mean, Emperor Herb. Good evening."

He nodded solomly. "No need for any kind of formality Ms. Tendo."

"Kasumi is fine."

"Kasumi," he corrected. "I was hoping I might speak to the entire family. Would that be possible?"

A few minutes later he was sitting at their table with a cup of green tea in front of him. Akane had roused Soun and now both families sat around the room and gave their guest time to speak.

Herb had taken the time to inspect the house before he had knocked. First he felt guilt for not having sensed the changes in Mint and Lime before they'd gone to China to become twisted experiments. Then he felt shame for not having caught up to them in time. Everything that had transpired was partially his fault. His former guards had destroyed the place and here they were being ever so kind enough to give him tea. Overcome with emotion, he stood up and backed away from the table to address the two families.

"If you will all permit, allow me to do this."

Suddenly Herb did something he had never done before. He bowed in apology. But not from the waist. Instead he dropped to his knees and bowed low until his head was touching the floor. Everyone was so stunned by the display that no one spoke.

"Please forgive me. This is my fault. Mint and Lime were my guards and as their emperor I am prepared to take full responsibility."

"It wasn't your fault," Soun started to say.

"It is!" Herb cut him off rising and then frowned apologetically. He wasn't much for social graces. "For what it's worth, I've destroyed them personally. They will not be bothering any of you ever again."

Ranma looked at Akane and she lowered her eyes to stare at the ground. Having suffered at their hands perhaps more than any of them she had certainly wanted revenge. She brought a hand up to her heart and felt the twin emotions: vindication and guilt vying for control of her brain.

"Please try not to bear them ill will. I've discovered they were brainwashed. Though they had wanted to settle the score from our first meeting, neither of them would have abandoned their post nor forsaken their humanity to accomplish it. I'm going to start up an investigation to find out who is really behind all this."

"We've been attacked a lot in the last eight months," Ranma said. "That's unusual, even for us. I'm really beginning to think someone has a serious grudge against the Anything Goes School."

Herb rubbed at his jaw line. "You believe someone is orchestrating all these attacks? I see. It is not outside the realm of possibility, though it simply could be that you've just made a lot of enemies over the years."

Ranma wanted to protest but he knew it was true. Either he or people in his life had created a myriad of problems since he'd moved into the Tendo household. The weakest link in his idea was that all the recent situations seemed to be separate from one another.

"But the main reason why I came was to repay you directly," Herb said, cutting into Ranma's musings. "I will pay for the restoration of your home. In fact I'll increase its size and buy as many of the surrounding houses as you wish."

"That won't be necessary," Soun said waving his hand. "The Tendo dojo is big enough. But I will take you up on your offer to repair it. I'm grateful."

Soun looked over at Natsumi and Kurumi, both of who were a bit down for failing to have stopped Mint and Lime preemptively. They deserved a better home than a storage shed. He made a note to prepare the master's old room for their use. He knew Happosai would have approved.

"It is the least I can do. Your dojo will be rebuilt; your yard, wall, and house will be restored to pristine condition." He looked directly at Ranma and said "I swear on my honor that never again will your life be plagued by problems caused by the Musk Dynasty."

"I have a question." Akane stepped forward, folding her hands in front of herself. "Did they… suffer?"

Herb met her gaze. "Mint only briefly. Lime endured agony until he told me what I wanted to know."

Akane paled and nodded, clinging to Ranma's arm. Her expression was clear; it was plain to see that she wished that she'd not asked.

Herb reached down and drank the tea that had been offered to him, raising the cup in tribute to Kasumi. "Thank you for the tea. I'd best be on my way. I"ll see to it that construction and repairs begin first thing in the morning. Good night."

Herb turned to go when Ranma called his name. Turning around, the two locked gazes.

"Thanks man. Seriously." Ranma chided himself for not having anything else to say so he settled for bowing necessitating one from Herb as well. Herb saw himself out.

There was silence as everyone in the room looked back and forth at one another. Finally Soun cleared his throat. "We had a tragedy today. Now we need to start recovering and picking up the pieces of our lives. Genma and Nadoka, please arrange for the Master's funeral arrangements first thing in the morning. In the meantime, let's start getting his old room ready for Natsumi and Kurumi."

Stunned at his sudden decisiveness everyone stared. Soun clapped his hands to regain their attention. "Let's go. There's not much else we can do tonight without power so let's get moving. Kasumi please bring out any additional flashlights."

Everyone began to get to work and Soun took private joy in being able to focus their energy on busy work. It would prevent any of them from sulking. The last thing anyone needed time to do right now was think. With luck the work would keep everyone busy until they were exhausted. Things would be a little better after a good night's sleep.

What Soun did not realize was how much respect and admiration he'd gained. Rather than continue to sulk and cry he'd shown his family and the Saotomes that he could get the job done as the head of the household. It was a sharp departure from before and even Ranma marveled at the transformation. In their minds, each member of the household wondered if it had in fact been Happosai's honorable sacrifice that had truly helped them to find a sense of unity.

Like lush vegetation arising after a fire, perhaps the fiery tragedy in their lives would give rise to a better future for everyone. Akane and Ranma walked outside hand-in-hand. If nothing else, their bond had again proven to be unbreakable. That alone gave them the strength and courage to wait for the coming day.

* * *

The bloody and battered male Amazon was dropped like a bag of trash in front of Herb. The two guards who had dragged him into the throne room stood ready in case he tried to assault the Emperor as he rose from his throne and approached. As his figure loomed, the Amazon whimpered and bowed his head. Herb noted with no small amount of distain that the front of his pants was wet.

"Make this easy on yourself," he said evenly. "Did you defect only to cause me harm? Was it your intention to turn Mint and Lime against me?"

The Amazon looked uncertainly back and forth between Herb and the guards. Herb knelt down until he was looking eye-to-eye with the captive. "If you tell me the truth, I'll release you. I am a man of my word."

Licking his lips, the Amazon hesitated before finally responding. "Yes Emperor. I was ordered to infiltrate and cause whatever damage I could. When it was discovered that Mint and Lime were weak links I was given orders to exploit that."

"We caught him just inside our borders," one of the guards said. "He came damn close to slipping back into Amazon controlled territory."

"Then all the pieces fit together," Herb muttered, pacing back and forth. "All it cost me was the lives of my two oldest friends. Tell me Amazon, are there any other operatives working behind the scenes in my empire?"

"Not that I am aware of. However I should tell you that we aren't often informed of other agents to protect the network in case one of us is captured."

"I see. I expected as much. Thank you for being so cooperative with this investigation. Without you, it would not have gone nearly as well as it did. The quick wrap up will allow us to accelerate our plans."

Herb stopped pacing. "Right then. Now to release you."

More than a little hopeful, the Amazon looked up at Herb, awaiting the command to be set free. He was caught unaware when Herb struck him hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. A blast of ki struck his body a moment later, liquefying his chest cavity and heart in one foul swoop.

"It would seem that wasn't quite the action he'd hoped for." General Maelic moved away from the wall he'd been leaning against to come stand beside Herb.

The Emperor shrugged his shoulders. "I told him I would release him. His soul is released. Let it never be said that I am not a man of my word."

"What comes next, my lord?"

Herb turned to look at the taller man. "War. Prepare our army. The Amazon's will not be allowed to get away with such treachery. Also, have our intelligence division continue to hunt out for any possible spies. I do not want our plans interrupted again. This feud between our two societies has lasted long enough. It is high time for a reckoning."

"Yes my Emperor."

"How long will it take to prepare for the invasion?"

"If you wish all preparations to be kept secret," Maelic trailed off a moment as he calculated information in his head. "Two weeks, maybe three. I'll contact general's Faing and Haower and inform them of our plans. All three corps of our army will be prepared after that."

"Good. Make it happen General."

The general and guards saluted. "Rise up in the name of the Dragon Emperor!"

Satisfied, Herb made his way to the balcony looking out over the vast lands of Jusenkyo and stared off in the direction of the Amazon village with a vengeful look. Justice would be handed out. It would not be pretty, nor bloodless, but it would be right. War was vindicated and soon the Amazon's would know the full price they treachery had wrought.

The tense yet peaceful balance in Jusenkyo was about to shatter in front of a chorus of marching, murder, and battle.

To be continued.

* * *

Authors Notes:

I'm halfway through revising the first Nightmare Saga side story I've renamed "Redemption". I'll be posting that later this week.

I want to take the time to thank everyone who has read and followed along with this series. I want to thank linkgold64 for his reviews. An author is little without readers and the only way we can grow and improve is to receive feedback from you all. Please feel free to leave a review, or, if you don't want everyone reading your words, you can PM me in private. I welcome all constructive criticism and praise. A little of both goes a long way.

The series is progressing and the next story is pretty much planned out. The first two chapters have been written and are waiting for revision. I hope everyone will enjoy it when the story debuts. I'm expecting the next story to be closer to the length of Warrior of Shadows. This will be due to the fact that many things will be happening at once. The story will be a tree with each branch a separate piece of plot. I'm quite excited to write and develop my ideas for all of you to (hopefully) read and enjoy.

See you next time!


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